Pemberley Waters: A Health and Relaxation Retreat
by LitaHardyY2J
Summary: Elizabeth Bennet needs to get herself out of the spotlight for a while. With the prompting of her sister Jane, and Jane’s boyfriend’s high recommendation, she sets off for Pemberley Waters. Happy Thanksgiving! New chapter up!
1. Chapter 1

**Pemberley Waters **  
_A Health and Relaxation Retreat_

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DISCLAIMER: I don't own, well, pretty much anything you read about in the chapter. Not even Pemberley, though I did convert it into something else :) That being said- I hope you enjoy my first attempt at Pride and Prejudice Fanfiction.

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Elizabeth stepped out of the cab and, after pulling off her sunglasses, glanced around at her surroundings. The sun was so bright it was making her drowsy. It was a hot, humid day and the first thing she wanted to do on such a long trip was take a shower, pull out her shorts and tank top and go to sleep. In that order. 

"That's twenty-two fifty." The cabbie called her out of her reverie. Elizabeth replaced her sunglasses and turned back to the driver.

"Keep the change." She handed him some bills and struggled to get her suitcase out of the car.

The cabbie, after glancing at the generous tip she had given him said, "Oh hey, you need help with that?"

Elizabeth smiled to herself and told him she had it. There were three reasons she had given him more tip than he deserved. One, because he didn't try and talk to her; Two, because he had taken one look at her torn jeans and Peal Jam t-shirt and assumed she couldn't _give_ a good tip; and three because, well, he didn't recognize her, did he?

"Ms. Bennet?" an older woman opened the door before Lizzy had reached it.

"Hi- Mrs. Reynolds?" Lizzy asked with a smile, once again removing her sunglasses.

"That's me. Come on in out of that heat. Can I give you a hand with that?" she gestured towards Lizzys bag.

"I have it, thanks. It's not as heavy as it looks." Lizzy assured her.

"Well, I'll show you to your room." Mrs. Reynolds said pleasantly.

On the way she pointed out things like the dining area, the way to the entertainment room, the small movie theatre. As they passed it, Elizabeth asked what kinds of movies they played and the conversation led on to what they thought of this recent movie and how did the other one think that actor was. Lizzy instant took a liking to Mrs. Reynolds.

"Here we are. Now, here's a program off all the activities that are going on, if you feel so inclined. The television is here, or if you're in a social mood, you can go to the entertainment room to watch with the other guests. There's also pool, racquetball, and a gym. The beach is always available, but the lifeguard goes off duty at sunset." Mrs. Reynolds explained.

"Thanks you so much for your help." Lizzy said sincerely after listening avidly.

"Not at all. If you have any questions, just dial 123 on the phone and you'll get the front desk. You'll want to rest after such a long trip, so unless you need anything else, I'll leave you to it."

"Thank you again, Mrs. Reynolds." Lizzy said before the older woman stepped out, smiling and wondering how such a sweet girl could have such a wild reputation.

Lizzy was indeed exhausted, but, after shoving her oversized suitcase off her bed, she found she couldn't sit still long enough to rest. After sitting through the plane ride, then the long cab ride, she felt she had to move.

She sighed and decided to unpack her clothes. After putting them all away, she plugged her laptop in and turned it on. While she waited for it to boot up, she walked to the window to take in the view. Even in her semi-foul mood, Elizabeth couldn't help but admit it was breathtaking.

Her view, as requested, was mostly of the sea. She could see a small island about a mile out, as well as sail boats here and there. The water was calm today, barely a ripple, and it was a light green color. The sun was just starting to set, and Elizabeth knew that most people would be packing up to head back to the retreat.

On an impulse, she stripped her clothes off and changed into a simple blue one-piece she'd brought. While she plucked out a throw-over from her newly put away clothes, she glanced at her laptop and decided to check her mail before she left.

After skimming through her new messages, her eye caught a name she was looking for and opened it.

_Lizzy,_

_I miss you already. It's so quiet here without you and no, Lizzy, that's not a good thing. I never thought I'd miss your loud music, or how you would pace because you could never sit still, but here I am. It's sometimes so quiet at night that I go into your room and turn your CD player on just so I can get some sleep. _

_I hope your trip went okay, and that you arrived safely. Don't sulk in your room too much either, or I will tell the manager to pull you out and make you have fun. Though, if I know you, you're already swimming at the beach. And don't spend you whole time worrying about me, either. I'm doing so much better, and Charles is helping a lot. _

_Go have fun, Busy Lizzy, for me. I want to hear good things when I talk to you again. And try and get some sleep, okay?_

_Your loving big sister,_

_Jane_

Elizabeth smiled as she read and reread the email Jane sent. Deciding to wait until she came back from swimming to answer, she shut down her laptop and headed out.

Just as she had guessed, the beach was practically deserted when Lizzy arrived. A ways down toward her right she could see a couple watching the sun set and closer to her left Lizzy saw a man who looked like he had fallen asleep on a lawn chair. While lying her towel out she idly wondered how long he had been there and suspected he would be sporting a killer sunburn when he finally woke up.

After discarding her throw over, she made her way into the water, taking notice to look for signs of sea lice or undertow. But, to her satisfaction there was no seaweed on the shore, and the sand didn't get steep anywhere on it's decent to meet the water.

Elizabeth sighed happily as she walked into the water. It wasn't warm, but being under the hot sun all day had taken the chill off and she was able to get right in without waiting to adjust. As she swam out until she couldn't touch she finally had to admit to herself Jane had been right to insist she come here.

Born a Florida baby, one of the places Lizzy felt the happiest was in the ocean. She never lived further then a ten-minute drive to the beach until she was eighteen, and Lizzy missed being able to take comfort in the sea. Her frequent fights with her mother as a teenager often drove her to need the calming effect going to the beach had on her.

"_This_ is the life." Elizabeth murmured to herself with a sigh. Determined to sleep sound tonight, she swam up and down the beach until she finally felt she worked off all her excess energy. She didn't work herself into exhaustion, knowing that as soon as she stepped out of the water and gravity took over, she would find herself more tired than she felt in the water.

Feeling refreshed and ready for a long overdue nap, Lizzy collected her things and made her way back to the retreat. By now the sun had completely set and Lizzy took note that the only lights around, besides some scattered boats on the water, were the ones from the retreat.

As she concentrated on finding a path back to the retreat, and making a mental note to bring a flashlight next time, Lizzy didn't notice a man walked up from behind her until he said. "Evening."

After jumping a mile, Lizzy turned to see that Sun-Burn Guy was the guilty culprit.

"What's the matter with you?" She asked, heart still beating wildly.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking it. "I thought you saw me."

"Yeah, Sun-Burn Guy. I thought you'd left already." Lizzy replied as she took in his appearance. She saw that he wasn't, as she'd originally guessed, actually sun burned. He had a nice tan, in fact. It went well with his dark, slightly curly hair, which in turn matched his almost black eyes. He was also tall and muscled, but not overly so. 'Probably has ten personal trainers and nothing to do but lay around the beach all day.' Lizzy told herself with a mental smile.

"Sun burn guy?" he questioned, suppressing a smile. Lizzy couldn't help noticing that he had a nice voice to go along with his nice looks. It was soft and powerful at the same time, and had a kind of accent she couldn't place.

"Don't try and change the subject- you know, your not even supposed to be talking to me." Lizzy informed him as she continued back to the retreat. In respect to all of the guest's privacy, one of the rules of Pemberley Waters was that no one, outside of the social rooms, approaches anyone.

"I wasn't _talking_, I just said 'Evening.' I was being polite." He defended himself with that same small smile.

"Polite, huh? You nearly gave me a heart attack." She told him.

"I _am_ sorry about that. I really didn't mean to scare you." He repeated.

"Ah, it's okay. I'm probably just a little jumpy, anyway." She said just as they reached the building.

"Well, I guess you're at the right place then." He replied, following her down the corridors.

"I guess." She said distractedly, wondering when he was going to leave her alone. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of him following her back to her room and thus knowing where she was staying. He seemed to get the hint and stopped at the edge of the grand staircase that would lead up to the suites.

"Did you have dinner yet?" He asked casually.

"No, I just arrived, actually. But all I'm thinking of is long, long nap." She said with a smile.

"A deserved one, at that. You must be exhausted from all that swimming." He said, returning her smile.

"A little." She paused. "So wait- you were watching me?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

"Er, no… I mean, yes but only because, with how much you were swimming, I was afraid I would have jump in soon to play lifeguard." He said, eyes twinkling.

"Ah, I see. So it was with pure intentions that you snuck up behind me and followed me back here- you wanted to make sure I wasn't going to faint?" she deadpanned, but he must have seen her hidden smile because he laughed.

"Exactly." He said as if she just caught on.

"And you asked me to dinner because… what? You didn't want me fainting from lack of food?" she asked keeping a straight face.

"Asked you to dinner? I didn't ask you to dinner- I just asked if you had eaten. You know, you might want to check your ego." He grinned at her when she conceded with a smile.

"But since you want to have dinner with me so badly, and since I haven't eaten since lunch, I guess I can accept." He said nonchalantly, but watched her closely for hear reply.

Lizzy hesitated. She really came here to be alone, away from everything and everyone. But he didn't give any indication that he knew who she was. Of course, spoiled rich kids were so not her cup of tea. Though, to be fair, he seemed nice enough. In the end, though, exhaustion won out.

"Sorry- I really am beat. All I can think of is my nice warm bed." She said with an apologetic smile.

"Of course. I've been so rude to keep you here when you're clearly tired. Maybe I'll see you around tomorrow?" he asked. He looked disappointed, but didn't seem to take it personally.

She smiled. "Probably." And started up the stairs.

"Hey wait- I never got your name." He called after her, but hadn't raised his voice.

Again she hesitated. "Elizabeth." She said finally, turning around.

"Elizabeth…?" he questioned and she smiled, not elaborating. "Well, Elizabeth. My name's Will."

"Will…?" She questioned back, smiling; and he, in turn said nothing. She nodded, satisfied. "Well, Will. Have a good night, then" She said with a smile.

"You, too. Elizabeth." He said, and then watched as she turned and continued up the stairs.


	2. Dinner Time

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Cookie, FutureFamousMovieDirector, Jena, Lynh, Anna, ArwenEvenstar83, and cancat90, _**

Wow! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback! I'm so glad you're all enjoying this because I'm having a great time writing it. Arwen- I made _myself _want to go swimming, lol. And Jena- don't worry, Lizzy and Will are kind of private, but we'll find out what they do before long. :)

As always- enjoy!

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**Chapter Two ****  
**_Dinner time_

By the time Lizzy had showered and changed, she had just enough energy left to right a quick note back to her sister before she went to bed.

_Dearest Jane,_

_You will be happy to hear that you know me as well as you think you do. I have just returned from a  
very relaxing swim in the ocean- a feeling I didn't even know how much I missed. Almost as much as  
I'm missing you right now. _

_Between the trip here and the exercise from the water, I am ready to put in a good night of sleeping.  
Though, as you have proven, you know me to well for that. When is the last time I've slept more than  
four or five hours? _

_I am trying, though, if only to put you more at ease. I wish I could have convinced you to come along  
with me, Janie. But I tell myself that you have Charles with you and are probably happier there than  
you would be here without him. _

_And now I'll prove how well **I** know **you** and promise to go out and do something fun. I could have  
accomplished this task already, if I hadn't been dog-tired. How, you ask? Well, as much as it might  
surprise you, I've not been here more than an hour and some guy already asked me out. Can you  
believe that Janie? _

_I was thinking about it afterward, though, and I can't even remember the last time I was asked to  
dinner. Seems so…normal. The last few attempts were more along the lines of 'Let me buy you a  
drinkin the hopes thatlater you'll be so drunk you'll sleep with me.' It's actually nice to know that  
there is some normal- at least on the surface- guy's out there. _

_And with that I'll say goodnight. If I ramble on anymore, you really will think you have cause  
to worry. _

_Take care big sis,_

_Lizzy_

At around one-thirty- after falling asleep at nine- Lizzy woke with a start. She was momentarily confused as to where she was, but was so used to sleeping in strange places that she wasn't alarmed. Very quickly, though, she remembered. Pemberley Waters, where she was _supposed_ to be relaxing.

Knowing herself well enough that she had no hope of getting back to sleep, at least so close to when she just woke up, Lizzy sighed and threw back her covers. After a small debate with herself, she pulled a bag out from where she'd shoved it under her canopy bed and unzipped it. Almost reverently, she then pulled out an acoustic guitar.

After fiddling with the pegs for a minute to make sure it was in tune, Lizzy's fingers, as if of their own accord, automatically started playing the first song she'd ever learned to play. Closing her eyes, she sang words she had sung a million times before, but had never spoken to her quite the way it did now…

_I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone.  
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity.  
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind. _

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea  
All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see.

Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind.  
Now don't hang on. Nothing last's forever but the earth and sky.  
It slips away, and all you money won't another minute buy,

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind,  
Dust in the wind, everything is dust in the wind.

Feeling more awake, but also more depressed, Lizzy sighed and put her guitar away. After checking on the off chance Jane had written back already- she hadn't- Lizzy threw on some comfortable clothes and decided to walk around in the hopes of tiring herself out again. Maybe she could find something to eat while she was at it.

"Good evening, miss. Would you like a table?" The Maitre'd asked. After walking around semi-aimlessly, Lizzy had wondered into the retreats private restaurant.

"Are you still serving?" Lizzy asked, surprised. At close to two in the morning, the most she'd expected was to find some kind of cafeteria or kitchen open. She knew she could get anything ordered from room service, but since she needed to walk around she thought she might as well get the food herself.

"Yes Ma'am. All night." He said with a smile.

"Then yes, please." She replied gratefully. It was more than she'd hoped for and she sent out yet another silent thanks to Charles for suggesting this place and Jane, for making her go.

The restaurant was dimly lit, but Lizzy was relived to see that she was alone in it. She hadn't expected to be eating in a restaurant when she dressed in her baggy jeans and tank top.

The Maitre'd led her to a private corner booth and informed her the waiter would be with her shortly. While looking over the menu, she was suddenly ravenous. After thinking about it, she realized she, too hadn't eaten since lunch; and that was just an airplane meal.

"Good evening, I'm Steve and I'll be serving you tonight. May I get you a drink, Ma'am?" The waiter had arrived silently and Lizzy fought a reaction to startle.

"Yes, please. A White Russian?" Lizzy ordered on a whim- she wasn't really a big drinker. Still, it was her favorite and it would help her sleep.

Steve went off to make her drink and, after deciding what she wanted to eat, Lizzy sat back and surveyed the room more closely. It was very nicely furnished, but not gaudy; tasteful. While skimming the room Lizzy started when she locked eyes with a man sitting across the way. She realized he had been watching her and shuddered unconsciously.

He stood and made his way over to her and she again fought her initial reaction- this one to high tail it out of there. When he was closer, though, the light caught his face and Lizzy sighed, relaxing back into her seat.

"Sun burn guy." She said with a smile as he stopped at her table.

"I thought we were past these preliminaries." He returned her smile. He was dressed nicely in a pair of dark dress pants and a dark blue shirt.

Lizzy again felt underdressed and wished she had thought twice about her attire before coming down. Not that Will seemed to mind much, they way he was smiling down at her.

"What can I say? First impression's are everything." She bantered back. "Would you like to sit?" she asked politely.

"I'd love to- but I don't want to interrupt if you're seeking solitude." He replied, but looked hopeful.

"The only thing I'm seeking is some food- but company would be nice." She said pleasantly, putting him at ease.

"Let me just grab my drink, then." He said, walking back to his table.

He and Steve returned at the same time, and after Lizzy put her order in, she turned to Will, who had taken a seat across from her.

"Cheers." She said clinking her glass with his and taking a sip. The drink was sweet and warmed her throat all the way down.

"How was your nap?" Will asked, putting his half empty glass down as well. He hadn't guzzled his down, Lizzy noticed. Probably not a big drinker, either. _'Another plus'_ she thought with a smile.

"Nice enough. How was dinner?" She asked in return.

"Very good. I just ate light- I had some business to take care of- so I decided to come back and get a proper meal. And I'm glad I did." He grinned charmingly at her and Lizzy looked down, smiling.

"How long have you been staying here?" She asked, changing the subject. She surreptitiously steered clear of any discussion of his business, least he ask her what _she_ did for a living.

"About a month. How long do you plan on stay?" He asked curiously. Lizzy hesitated and fiddled with her drink.

"I… don't know yet. I came on a whim and I guess I'll stay until… I'm relaxed." She smiled humorously. "What about you?"

"Actually, I'm in about the same boat- came on a whim and I'll stay until Pemberley works it's magic." He replied, and then raised his glass again. "To relaxing."

"To relaxing." She repeated heartily and they drank together just as Steve brought their food out.

Lizzy was again surprised; the food had come quickly and looked to be two meals put together.

"Wow." She said as he laid it out in front of her; Steve couldn't help but smile.

"Can I get you anything else, Ma'am, Sir?" He asked them both, but kept his eyes on Lizzy.

"I think this is plenty, thanks." Lizzy smiled gratefully up at him. "Will?" she prompted, because he hadn't answered.

"That will be all." He answered coolly, surprising her. Steve took the hint and left without another word.

They started eating in silence. Lizzy was slightly taken aback by Will's abrupt tone to the waiter. What was the problem? He was just doing his job. Well, that's a spoiled rich kid, for you. The only reason he was being so nice to her was because he thought she was his peer.

It was true that Lizzy had money- she had to have to being staying at Pemberley Waters; but she hadn't been above waiting tables before she had _made_ her money and knew what a rotten job it was. She always made an effort to be polite to waiters, drivers, cashiers- working kids, basically, because she had been there herself and knew what a drag it was when people treated you like you were beneath them. People like Will. Suddenly she wished she were eating alone.

"Look, I'm sorry." Will's soft voice snapped her back to the table.

"Sorry?" she questioned, confused.

"Yeah- that, you know… I mean if you wanted to talk to him, I shouldn't have been so… you know. Well, it's not like this is a date, or anything." He stumbled, and then looked back down at his food, embarrassed.

Lizzy didn't answer right away as she thought about what he'd said.

"What are you even talking about?" she asked bluntly.

"You know- the waiter." He started.

"Steve?" she questioned, trying to keep up with whatever he was talking about. Will gave her a dark look.

"Yeah, _Steve_. If you wanted to talk to him, I shouldn't have made him leave." He repeated, looking slightly dark but masking it well.

"Why…. would I want to talk to Steve?" Lizzy asked again, still not understanding. He was apologizing, that much was certain, but she didn't think he was apologizing for being _rude_ to the waiter, just for making him leave.

"Well, it was obvious he wanted to talk to you." Will said.

"Are you not making a whole lot of sense or is there a lot more alcohol my drink then I realized?" Lizzy asked and made a show of sniffing her drink. Will grudgingly smiled and she couldn't help but admire how it lit up his whole face.

"Let's try this again. Your sorry because…you think the waiter wanted to talk to me? Or no, wait- your sorry because you sent the waiter away when I wanted to talk to him?" Lizzy questioned.

"A little from column A, a little from column B." Will quipped. Lizzy smiled, then turned serious.

"Will- I wasn't mad that you sent the waiter away and I certainly didn't want to talk to him." She paused, looking in the waiter's direction, even though he was across the room and couldn't possible hear them. "No offense." Will chuckled.

"Well, you just seemed so… upset after he left." He said cautiously.

"I was upset because…" Lizzy hesitated again, but decided to be truthful. "I just thought you were rude to him, and I didn't really like the stuck up rich guy act."

Will looked surprised at her words, but couldn't help but be relived. "Well then I'm sorry for acting like a stuck up rich guy- I guess I just don't take competition well." He caught her eye and held it before she looked back down at her drink, smiling slightly.

After a minute of neither knowing what to say, Will asked her if she had any interest in the activities Pemberley offered, and the dinner passed in pleasant conversation.

"This was nice." Lizzy said as she and Will walked through the hallways back towards the suites.

"Really nice." He agreed earnestly as they reached the bottom of the grand staircase. Like last time, Will stopped here.

"Maybe we can meet up tomorrow and do something." Lizzy suggested, surprising them both. Where had that come from? What happened to solitude- getting away from everything and everyone?

"Yeah- that'd be fun." Will said casually, but was smiling.

"Great. Um, here's the number to my room. Whenever you up and feeling sociable, give me a call." She smiled sweetly, writing her number on his hand. It felt warm but not sweaty and by standing so close to him she caught whiff of his cologne. It wasn't overpowering, like most guys liked to do. It was nice.

"Sounds great." He said, smiling down at his hand. "Have a goodnight, Elizabeth." He caught her gaze in his again.

"You, too, Will." She said softly.

Before she could step back, Will took her hand in his clean one and for a moment she was both terrified and hopeful that he was going to kiss her. But, in the end he just gave her a slow smile and squeezed her hand. She smiled back and turned to walk up the stairs.

"See you tomorrow, Elizabeth." He called after softly when she reached the top.

She turned back and grinned. "Today _is_ tomorrow, Will."

He laughed. "See you later on today, then."

Lizzy nodded, gave a little wave and continued on to her room.

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Disclaimer: As always- I don't own Lizzy, Will, Jane, Charles or Pemberly.  
Also- Dust in the Wind belongs to Kansas. 

So... What did you think:)

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	3. It's a date

**

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Bunny Sailor Moon, Jena, Audrey Batle, Erkith, Dolphindreamer, apage, FutureFamousMovieDirector, Liana,  
****GerryPhan, Lynh, StardustPixie, and StellaBeth,**

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your reviews were _so_ supportive! And all your ideas and comments are very helpful.  
We'll get a hint of Lizzy's past in this one-I just hope it's not to confusing. Note- The underlined words refer to the  
second person. Don't worry- you'll understand when you read it. Let me know how it grabs you.Here's Chapter Three-  
hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter Three  
**_It's a date_

_Lizzy was euphoric- it was one of the best days of her life and she couldn't wait to share it with the two most important  
people to her. She wandered the halls for him- but he'd already disappeared again. Lizzy smiled and shook her head-  
just another one of his quirks. No matter- nothing could bother her today. Changing direction slightly, Lizzy decided  
to seek _her_ out instead. _

_Lizzy was practically bouncing off the walls. Once and awhile someone who offered congratulations would stop her,  
__but mostly the building was deserted. She checked all the usual spots, but there was no sign of either of them. Strange.  
Where _was_ everyone?_

_Finally, Lizzy reached the end of the hall; there was only one door left. As soon as she'd opened it, her first reaction  
was to slam it shut again. Two people were locked in an embrace. But almost immediately, she recognized the figures,  
and was frozen to the spot. _

_**When had this happened**? Lizzy had spent the past year in constant company with them and hadn't got any impression  
they had more than friendship. And wasn't _she_ into that other guy, anyway? _

_All this passed through her mind within seconds. She snapped back into the present and realized how awkward it would  
be if they noticed her there and began to make a retreat. _

_Lizzy had almost closed the door when _her_ voice broke the silence. "Please don't- let me go." _

_And his before _she_ had even finished speaking-"Shhhh…." _

_It was only then that the haze of shock was broken and Lizzy noticed how much _she_ was struggling to escape his grasp.  
Her heart fell into her stomach and a wave of rage she had never come close ever to feeling before washed over her. He  
was forcing himself on _her!

"NO!" Lizzy woke with a start, heart beating wildly and reaching out to nothing.

She laid back against the pillows and waiting for her heart to slow. God- How many more time would she have to live  
through that moment? How many times would she feel this rage- the panic, the guilt?

Once again she pulled her guitar out from underneath her bed. This time, though, she practically yanked it out of the case.  
She didn't play any particular song, just a fast, harsh tune that spoke of the turmoil inside of her.

And so it went on. For another forty-five minutes, Lizzy poured herself into her music until her stomach quieted, her anger  
subsided and her guilt- well, her guilt hadn't gone away, but she was able to push it into the back of her head.

She put her instrument away and stood up from the bed. Her legs, which had been crossed the whole time as she sat Indian-  
style, protested the sudden movement. She reached her arms high above her head, then brought them down to the floor  
and sighed contentedly as her back and shoulders cracked satisfyingly.

As the blood flowed back into her legs, Lizzy walked around the room, jumping around to lessen the sharp needlelike pain.  
When everything was back to normal, she sat at the desk and flipped on the laptop hoping Jane had written back.

_Busy Lizzy,_

_I'm so glad your having a good time already. I knew how much the ocean always relaxed you, and I'm  
glad you decided to go. _

_I miss being able to go right to you when I want to talk- but this is a small sacrifice for you feeling better.  
Sometimes I **do** wish I had gone with you, but I'm doing well here. Things seem to be improving daily  
and I know we'll be back to normal soon. No- not normal. We'll be changed, but we'll be just as happy  
as we were before this whole mess started. Happier- I know we will. _

_Charles and I went out on a date last night. _

_I couldn't wait to tell you about it Lizzy- but part of me wanted to be selfish and keep it to myself. Wehad  
such a good time- we went to see a play- can you imagine Lizzy? And then we went to this fancy restaurant.  
He said he wanted to treat me like an angel, because that's what I was. _

_I know you can see me bursting at the seams from all the way over there, and no doubt you're wondering  
what happened to your calm and serene sister. Don't worry though; I'm sure she'll turn up. _

_He is such a gentleman, Lizzy. I don't feel pressured at all- and we have so much fun together. _

_Well, I can go on and on, but I won't. I just want you to know how happy I am already, Lizzy. I think I'm  
even…well, it's too early for that, but I think I'm close to it…_

_Enough. Tell me more about this mystery man of yours. What's his name? Where did you meet him? Is he  
nice? He seems like it from what I can tell of your brief description. You say he asked you to dinner like  
I should be surprised- who wouldn't want to go out with you?_

_I have two tasks, then. One, I expect to hear more about him; and two, that you've done something fun  
(besides swimming.) If you want to combine the assignments, you won't get an objection from me. _

_Miss you, Love you,_

_Jane_

Lizzy had mixed feelings about Jane's date with Charles. She loved Charles to death- it wasn't that. He matched Jane  
perfectly and both sisters trusted him. It was just…

However irrational, she didn't want anyone trying to get near her sister unless she was there to keep an eye on him. She  
knew she was being psychotic and that Charles would never do anything to hurt Jane, but she couldn't help the way she  
felt.

On the other hand, she was ecstatic that Jane seemed to be getting back to her old self and if Charles was helping that  
along, Lizzy wouldn't begrudge him a date or two.

It was in this state of mind that the phone rang, interrupting her thought. Lizzy answered it, for some reason expecting Jane.

"Hello?" she asked hopefully.

"Hey." A distinctly male voice replied.

"Hi." Lizzy replied automatically, trying to place the voice. It was low and slightly gravel but sounded really, really familiar….

"Sun burn guy?" the voice supplied, sounding amused.

"Will! I'm sorry- I was a million miles away when you called. How are you?" She asked, unexpectedly happy at hearing him.

"I'm good. How about you? Sleep well?" he asked in reply and she answered in the affirmative.

"Well, listen, there's a day cruise leaving here in about an hour and I was wondering if you wanted to go? I mean- with me."  
He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "It goes around the island so you can see the sun set on the water.  
There's a pool, and a casino and they have a really cool band at night."

He told her this all so fast that Lizzy didn't answer right away as she puzzled out what he had said.

"I mean, I know it's a lot, and I thought you'd still be tired from your trip over, so if you don't want to go, I'll understand."  
He hurried on. Lizzy finally realized that he was nervous and smiled, finding it endearing.

"That sounds like fun." She answered quickly, putting him out of his misery. It really did sound like fun; besides which-  
she didn't have the heart to say no.

"You- really? I mean great. It'll be fun." He sighed again and seemed to make an effort to speaking slowly and coolly.

"So it leaves at noon. All you need to bring is your ID and, if you want to swim, a suit and change of clothing, or whatever."  
He sounded like he was smiling.

"A change of clothing or whatever?" she questioned teasingly.

"Well, if you want to have dinner in your bathing suit, _I_ won't mind." He teased back.

"I won't embarrass you?" she asked.

"I could deal with it if I got to see you in your bathing suit." He flirted.

"Will, you've _seen_ me in my bathing suit." She reminded him, suppressing a laugh.

"I know. Why do you think I followed you back to the retreat?" he replied innocently.

"You jerk! You said you were worried about me!" she laughed.

"I was! I was worried you'd be followed by a bunch of unsavory's-"

"Unsavory's?" She questioned with a chuckle.

"Unsavory's- who didn't have your best interest at heart." He defended himself.

"As opposed to who _did_ follow me?" she teased.

"Hey- I resent that remark." She could feel his smile through the phone.

"I need to get ready. Where do you want to meet?" Lizzy asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

They decided on a place and, after a few more bantering back and forth, hung up.

Lizzy just sat for a while, smiling at the phone. Then, shaking herself, she stood and made her way into the bathroom.

After a quick shower, she shifted through her clothes before she finally decided on a flowered sundress that she could  
throw over her bathing suit- incase they decided to go swimming. The bathing suit was the same cut as the other one, but  
this one was more of a blue-green. She also pulled out a red dress from the closet to wear for dinner tonight.

It was close-fitting but not skin tight and came down to just above her knees. Lizzy wasn't really a dressy kind of girl- she  
felt most comfortable in jeans and a T- but it had been forever since she went out on an actual date and she wanted to look  
the part.

Speaking of which- she went back into the bathroom to tangle with her hair. It was dark brown and curly and since she'd  
grown it out some Lizzy just put it up so she didn't have to bother with it. Tonight, though, she decided she might as well  
go all the way with her appearance. So, after carefully untangling it she added gel to make sure it sat right.

She studied her appearance in the mirror and had to admit she look good, if she did say so herself.

"Your so vain." She said to the mirror, and stuck her tongue out at her reflection. Smiling, she left the bathroom.

After putting everything she needed into a carry on bag, and making sure she had her ID, Lizzy checked the time. She still  
had about ten minutes before she was due to meet Will and decided to write a quick note back to her sister.

_Janie,_

_I'm so happy for you! You know how much I like Charles- I'm so glad you guys are getting along so well. _

_I have to keep it short tonight, Janie, because I have (drum roll, please) a date! Yes, sibling rivalry  
still lives in us, no matter how old we get. You know how I hate to be shown up by you. :)_

_So, how's that for fast work? You asked me to have fun and implied to have it with Will- that's his name,  
by the way. And yes, he is very nice. I don't know what he does, and he doesn't know what I do. Nether  
of us have asked and I think we each appreciate someone who likes their privacy as much as the other. _

_You know how the strangest things can attract you to someone? He was so nervous on the phone when  
he asked me to go on the cruise with him- that's where we're going- it goes around the island and I'll  
be back tonight. He was so nervous and it was so sweet. But as soon as I told him I would come he was  
joking and laughing like it was nothing._

_And you know what else? He doesn't curse in front of me. Well, at least not yet. And he doesn't spit,  
or scratch himself. Oh Jane, if this is all I'm looking for in a man I must have been hanging around  
the wrong kind too long._

_But I'll tell you everything when I get back- wish me luck_

_Miss you a million, love you a million,_

_Your Lizzy_


	4. Calm before the storm

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Bunny Sailor Moon, ArwenEvenstar83, Dolphindreamer, GerryPhan, FutureFamousMovieDirector, J, and purplehairedpunk

Thank you sooo much for your great feedback! Thanks for all your comments- and to Dolphin for getting me back on track. (And forcatching the mistakes in this chapter.After I've read something so much- and esp when I'm the one who wrote it- I know what it's going to say so my eyes can't help but start to skim. Thanks for you help!) Okay, this isn't the Emmy's, I'll move on. ;)

Well, it's taken me a little longer this time, but _hopefully_ it'll be worth it. It's a little longer than normal and I was going to split it up, but I couldn't do that to you all.

So, without any further adieu, here it is...

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**Chapter Four**  
_Calm before the storm_

Lizzy was happy to see Will already waiting for her at the agreed upon spot. She smiled shyly at the look of appreciation on his face as he took in her appearance.

"You look great, Elizabeth." He said, smiling openly.

"Thank you. Are you ready to go?" Growing up a tomboy and having a renowned beauty as an older sister didn't give Lizzy much experience in being complemented so unceremoniously. She was a little unsure of how to reciprocate it.

"Here, let me get that for you." He said, slinging her bag over his shoulder as he led the way towards the entrance of Pemberley.

"There's a group bus that'll take us to the docks. The cruise runs every night, so it's never really crowded." Will explained as they made their way to the awaiting bus.

"Welcome everyone. If I could just see your ID's before you get settled we can get on our way." A man with a clipboard and a smile said just as they approached.

Lizzy pulled her bag off Will's shoulder with a smile and began digging around for it. When she finally grasped it, she experienced a moment of panic. Her ID had her full name- something she still hadn't told Will.

What if he caught a glimpse of it and figured out who she was? Lizzy didn't think she could take the sideways glances and false politeness Will was sure to exhibit if he knew.

"I'll toss your bag in the back, if you like." Will offered, gesturing towards the back of the bus where another uniformed man was taking bags from guests and storing them carefully in the trunk.

"Oh- sure. Thanks." Lizzy replied, relived to have an excuse for him to be out of sight when she flashed her ID.

Will's hand brushed hers as he once again took the bag from her hands and they shared a smile. Not wasting time, Lizzy walked up to the man with the clipboard and presented her ID.

After jotting something down, he looked at with a smile and said, "Okay Miss Bennett, have a great trip."

"Thank you." She said distractedly. She turned to see Will was chatting with the baggage guy and was momentarily grateful that he was out of hearing range as well.

She wondered briefly if he caught onto her reluctance to have him find out her full name. He seemed to be just as uncommunicative as she when it came to the matter and Lizzy decided that maybe she should make an excuse to be out of the way when it came time for _him_ to reveal himself.

"All set?" he asked, coming up from behind her.

"Yep. Oh- let me just toss this back into my bag before it gets buried." She said, half holding up the hand her ID was concealed in.

"You want me to go get it?" he offered politely.

"No, don't worry about it. I'll be right back." She said, repaying his offer of privacy.

"Hi- can I just toss this in my bag?" she asked the man.

"Sure- which one?" he asked in reply with an amiable smile.

"The dark blue one there." She pointed out. He got half in the bus and pulled it out for her. Lizzy slipped the card into one of the outside pockets and handed it back to him.

"Thanks so much." She said appreciatively.

As she turned back around she saw that Will was standing off to the side, watching her with an unreadable expression. Blushing slightly at his scrutiny, she made her way over to him.

"All set?" she repeated his words back to him. He seemed to snap himself out of his mood and gave her a smile.

"Yep." He tossed her words back in reply.

They chose the last seat on the right and spoke quietly over the guide, who was informing them of all that was available on the cruise. Will assured her he was well acquainted with it, and so they spent the short bus ride in a mixture of conversation and comfortable silence.

In no time they reached the pier. The guide led them straight from the bus to the ship and wished them a fun and safe journey. Lizzy was impressed by the size of the ship considering it was privately owned by Pemberley and, although they sailed everyday, didn't have nearly enough people to fill it. When she pointed this out to Will as they made their way through the corridors, he turned and replied,

"That's part of the charm of it. As I'm sure you noticed, Pemberley is big on privacy. Another policy of theirs is to make sure they have more than enough room for everyone- most guests who come here aren't much for big crowds of people." He explained.

"I guess it just seems like a waste to sail out everyday with half the amount of people it can hold." Lizzy mused.

"This is us." Will announced as they reached their cabins.

He unlocked and opened her door for her before handing her the key. Lizzy took a quick glance around the room. Not meant for overnight use, it did have a twin-sized bed if the guest wanted to lie down along with a recliner, dresser, and, in the corner, a small bathroom.

"So what's the plan?" she asked, tossing her bag onto the bed and sitting down. Will was still in the doorway, fiddling with his key and looking slightly uneasy. "You can come in if you like." She offered with a smile.

Will closed the door behind him and came to sit on the recliner. "There's lunch if you're hungry, or they have a library, a casino, the pool, or the game room." He told her, and then waited as she thought about it.

"I don't know. Lunch, the pool and the game room sound good to me. What do you want to do?" She asked.

"Well, why don't we get something to eat, and on the way there we can pass by the pool and the game room to check them out." Will suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Let me just run a brush through my hair." She unzipped a side pocket in her bag and, after pulling out her brush, went to the small bathroom to use the mirror.

The wind had already done a number on her curls and she wondered briefly if should just put it in it's usual ponytail; but couldn't get the image of Will's smile out of her head. In the end she decided on taking the top layer and clipping it up so it was out of her eyes.

"You look great." Will said with a smile when she emerged. "Your hair looks good up. I mean, it's look good down too, but…" he cut himself off with a sigh and she laughed.

"Thank you, Will." Lizzy said sincerely, with an amused smile. She'd never had a guy get so tongue-tied around her; it was kind of flattering.

"Shall we?" He asked, opening the door for her to precede him.

On the way to lunch, which was spent in smiles and good conversation, the pair took a quick tour of the ship. Afterwards they decided to hit the game room and, if there was enough time before dinner, the pool.

Their time spent in the game room made each come to realize they shared a similar sense of competitiveness. From air hockey to ping-pong to basketball, they went head to head; laughing and teasing the whole time. Lizzy crushed him at air hockey; Will returned the favor during ping-pong; and the winner-take-all basketball game was, so far, an even tie.

Will's height gave him a great advantage, but Lizzy was quicker and had played the game more. It also didn't hurt that anytime he got a look at her smiling and flushed face he was momentarily awestruck. Though, to be fair, anytime Will brushed up against her to block her attempts at scoring, Lizzy was put in a similar state.

In the end the game was called for time and the declared it a draw. The duo hurried to their respective cabins to shower and change in time to watch the sunset before dinner.

When they met outside of their rooms, neither spoke as each took in the others appearance.

Will's hair was still wet from the shower, but it just made it look curlier. He was clean-shaven and wearing a dark suit with a tie that matched his eyes. The tie was lying slightly crooked and, without thinking, Lizzy reached up and straitened it out. His surprised look brought her back to reality and, blushing, she stepped back.

"You look beautiful, Elizabeth." Will said in a low voice. She reflexively looked down and smoothed a nonexistent crease in her dress while she hid a blush, smiling.

"Thank you. You look really nice, too." She replied and was rewarded with a smile.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding out his arm. Pleased at his chivalry, she took it and let him lead her out.

They went to the topmost deck for the privacy and the view. The dinner music had already started and it drifted up to them, setting the prefect mood. They stood close together against the rail; both pairs of eyes gazing at the lowering sun. But, when they thought the other wasn't looking, they would sneak glances at each other.

Lizzy sighed contentedly. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen the sunset on the water." She murmured to Will.

"Really?" his quiet tone matched hers.

"I lived in south east Florida practically my whole life. I've gotten up early to see it rise, and the sunsets there are breathtaking, but I've never seen them on the water." Lizzy explained without adverting her gaze from the scene.

"You lived close to the beach, then?" Will asked after a slight pause.

Lizzy realized that she had unconsciously gone against their silent agreement and let personal information slip. Will seemed generally interested though, and she was feeling uncommonly relaxed in his company so decided to elaborate.

"Never more then a ten minute drive. Although in most of Florida you're never more than a ten minute drive from the beach." She paused to smile. "I loved it. Well, I loved being so close to the water, I didn't like much else about it."

"What didn't you like?" He asked. She didn't answer for a minute, deep in thought.

"You know- I don't know. I just remember I couldn't wait to leave. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that my mom and I were always at odds." She smiled.

"Do you have any brothers of sisters?" Will asked cautiously.

"Four." She turned slightly to him and smiled, letting him know that she was okay with his questions. He matched her stance and smile.

"Four?" he laughed quietly.

"Four. I get along well with my older sister, but I don't really talk to my three younger ones. I see them on occasion and I call them about once a month to check in, but…" she trailed off and, fearing she was exposing to much about herself, directed the conversation to him.

"What about you? Any brothers or sisters?" she asked.

"A sister. She's ten years younger than I am, but we're really close. She just got accepted into Julliard." He said with obvious pride.

"That's so great! How old is she?" Lizzy asked. She was curious to know both her age and in the process, his.

"Sixteen." He said with a smile that let her know he was on to her.

"And what program is she in?" she continued, purposely ignoring his look.

"Music. She's a genius on the piano." He replied. "How old are all of your sisters?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Let's see… my youngest sister, Lydia, is fifteen. Kitty is seventeen, Mary's twenty and Jane, my older sister, is twenty-four." She replied and made a show of counting them off on her fingers.

"So there's about two years difference in all your ages?" Will asked, making it clear why he was asking.

Lizzy pretended to think about it. "About." She smiled.

"Oh Will- look" She gasped, putting her hand on his arm. They turned back to the setting sun, which had lowered until it almost disappeared. The clouds surrounding it had caught the light and turned everything a mixture of deep oranges and reds.

"It's _so_ beautiful." She whispered.

"Yes, it is." He replied, voice just as low.

Lizzy realized she still had her hand on his arm when he brought his left hand around to pull hers into his right. She turned to him and they shared a smile before returning to the sight on the water.

They didn't leave the deck until it was completely dark and even then they strolled slowly towards the dining deck, still hand in hand.

Throughout dinner they teased and bantered, but the conversation never came back to more personal matters. Lizzy wasn't sure if she was relived or disappointed. She wanted to know more about his obvious love for his sister, if he got along with his parents and, ironically enough, what he did for a living.

He seemed to be too relaxed for some kind of top-level executive. He had a vast love of music, but admitted he had a greater love for books. In fact, most of dinner was spent dissecting their favorite books and both were pleased to find they had the same tastes.

Of course, her first impression of him could also be right- that he was a trust fund kid and was merely wasting his time reading and lounging by the poolside. The more she got to know him, though, the more that didn't seem his style. She wasn't about to ask him, though, she didn't wasn't to know badly enough to have to expose herself in the process.

Somehow the subject came upon fortune hunters. Will acknowledged that, when he was younger, he was almost deceived by one. It wasn't as close as it could have been, but it put him on his guard. That, in fact, he had just saved his best friend from one not long ago.

"Charles is very intelligent, but he tends to think the best of people and doesn't know when someone really likes him and when someone's just after his money." Will explained just as the food came. Lizzy didn't get a chance to reply and they got onto another subject after the waiter left.

After dinner, they sat in conversation until their food had settled. Then, as the live Jazz band started up, Will stood and held his hand to Lizzy.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, smiling.

"I'd be honored." She replied, returning his grin.

Will was an excellent dancer, and Lizzy only stepped on his foot once.

"I'm sorry." She said, blushing.

"Don't be." He laughed quietly. "I'm relived, actually."

"Relived?" she asked, bemused.

"Yes, after you creamed me in the game room earlier, I'm glad there's something that I can hold over you." He teased, eyes sparkling.

She hit his arm lightly but was smiling. "You beat me at ping-pong, remember? And basketball was a tie."

"That's true. But I'd much rather have beaten you at air hockey than ping-pong. And, if we had played basketball much longer, I wouldn't have been able to keep up." He said.

"Well then, I'll trade you my air hockey championship for your ping-pong championship if we can tie on dancing." Lizzy proposed with a teasing smile.

"Deal." He laughed, and then twirled her.

The danced the rest of the night, taking breaks here and there to rest and get a drink. Relaxed by his conversation, Lizzy danced perfectly in sync with him the rest of the night and by the time they returned to Pemberley, they were laughing and joking like old friends.

Will once again stopped at her staircase and Lizzy, smiling, reached out and took his hand.

"I had such a good time, Will. Thank you so much." She said happily and he grinned at her in return.

"I'm glad. I had fun too. Maybe we can do something tomorrow?" he asked and Lizzy noticed he wasn't as nervous this time.

"Yeah- give me a call. Not too early, though." She mock warned.

"I won't. Call early, I mean." He smiled and shook his head at his inability to not get tongue-tied in front of her.

"Well, night." She said, but didn't release his hand.

"Goodnight, Elizabeth." His eyes and smile softened, and he leaned down to press his lips to hers.

Lizzy put her free hand on his shoulder just as his lips touched hers, and she was glad she did. As soon as he touched her, Lizzy felt a shock of energy run down her spine. Will pulled back slightly, judging her reaction. When she didn't back away he used his free hand to cup her cheek before kissing her again.

Will and Lizzy both seemed to remember they were in public at the same time and pulled back simultaneously.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a few breaths before Lizzy slipped her hand off his shoulder and Will let his drop away from her cheek. She immediately missed the warmth.

"Night, Will." She smiled softly at him and gave her a toothy grin in return.

"Night, Elizabeth." He returned.

Lizzy took a few steps back towards the steps and, after giving his hand a squeeze, she dropped it. Turning, she made her way up to her room hoping fervently that she didn't embarrass herself by falling down the stairs. He knees were decidedly weak.

When she reached the top she turned and, seeing that he was still there smiling at her, gave a little wave. He blew her a kiss in return and blushing, she turned back around and made her way to her suite.

After carefully closing the door she stood stalk still for a minute. Then, in a burst of energy, jumped up and down, laughing.

When this episode passed, she laughed at herself, shaking her head. "What's gotten into you, Liz?" she asked herself as she made her way into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

When she was showered and changed, she checked her email and was surprised when they was nothing from Jane. On a whim, she called the front desk to see if she had any messages.

"Yes, Miss Bennet. A miss Jane Bennet called and asked that you return her call whenever you got in." The receptionist informed her.

"Thank you." Lizzy said before hanging up.

Lizzy wasn't sure why, but she was worried. It was possible Jane, after getting her email, was excited for her and wanted to ask her how it went, but something was tugging at her, making her anxious.

"Hello?" Jane's soft, sweet voice answered after two rings.

"Janie. It's me." Lizzy replied.

"Oh Lizzy! It's so good to hear from you! How did your date go tonight?" Jane asked.

It wasn't blatant, but Lizzy knew her sister better than she knew herself and picked up on it right away.

"Jane- are you okay? You sound like your crying. What happened?" Lizzy asked, in full panic mode.

"Nothing. Nothing… it's just…." Jane paused and Lizzy could picture her sister whipping delicately at her eyes with a tissue. "Oh Lizzy-" she managed before breaking down and crying out right.

Lizzy whispered words of comfort while Jane tried to calm down enough to tell her what happened. Her insides were tight and Lizzy was ready to jump on the next plane to be with her sister.

"_He broke up with me_, Lizzy." Jane finally managed.

"Who?" Lizzy asked then smacked herself at her own stupidity. "Charles broke up with you?"

"Yes." Jane replied before diving into a fresh batch of tears.

No- it was impossible. Charles was _crazy_ about Jane. What possible reason could he have to…

And then, like a lightning bolt out of nowhere, Will's voice filtered through her head.

"_Charles is very intelligent, but he tends to think the best of people. He doesn't know when someone really likes him and when someone's just after his money."_

Lizzy's heart stopped; it couldn't be… could it?


	5. The first proposal scene is my favorite

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**Dolphindreamer, FutureFamousMovieDirector, riotgirllina, Bunny Sailor Moon, forgotten-kiss, ArwenEvenstar83, GerryPhan, and Lizzy&Darcy4ever,**

Thanks so much for your reviews! I love your comments _so_ much! (And, incase you didn't see my little note added to the other fic- thanks dolphin for catching the mistakes in the last chapter) Well- it's a little short but it's early! The title doesn't really make sense, but it's true ;) I guess this is my interpretation of the proposal scene in the book. We also learn a little more about out favorite duo... Enjoy! (And don't forget to let me know what you think) :)

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Chapter Five  
_The first proposal scene is my favorite part of the book._ **

Lizzy spent the remainder of the night on the phone trying to consol her sister. The worst part of it was that Charles hadn't given a solid reason for the breakup. Lizzy didn't know what to say about her suspicions and couldn't very well ask if he had ever mentioned a friend named Will.

"Oh Lizzy, I'm sorry- I'm being so selfish. How was your date?" Jane asked in a vain effort at casual cheerfulness.

"It… was okay. The guy-"

"Will?" Jane asked and Lizzy winced at his name.

"Yeah- he wasn't as nice as I thought he was. It was a bust." Lizzy replied listlessly.

She was so confused in her feelings. In truth she'd had more fun with Will than she had in a long time, but the possibility that he had hurt her favorite sister- her best friend, threw her into turmoil.

He seemed _so _nice. But Lizzy knew all too well that appearances could be deceiving.

Even as she felt anger well up within her, Lizzy wished it not to be true. But how could it not be true? How big of a coincidence would that be? Either Will has a friend named Charles whom he convinced to break up with his girlfriend the same time Jane's Charles broke up with _her_ or Will's friend _is_ Jane's Charles. The latter seemed most plausible.

Lizzy then felt her anger turn on Charles. How could he let himself be ruled so easily? Did he not care as much about her sister as she had originally thought? If it were true, and Lizzy was beginning to believe it was, how could he let his friends dictate whom he should and should not see?

"How could I have been so wrong about him?" Jane asked morosely. Since Lizzy was thinking the same thing about Will she wondered that very questioned, but checked herself.

"Jane, could this all be some kind of misunderstanding? What exactly did he say?" she asked as gently as she could.

"Well, at first he said he couldn't go out because of some business he had to take care of. He was so apologetic and sincere, Lizzy. Anyway, I didn't hear from him until about three my time, when he said he had to go out of town on business.

He sounded strange, so I asked him if anything was wrong but he said he was just thinking about the business he had to attend to. When I asked when he thought he'd be back, he said he didn't know- that he'd be gone for at least a month and didn't know if it would be longer.

But it was his sister that really put me on my guard. She was telling me how much she looked forward to seeing their old friend- a Georgiana Darcy. She's the sister of his best friend, I guess.

Lizzy, she… she didn't come right out and say it, but she implied that they were an old fling. Georgiana and Charles, I mean. And that as soon as Charles heard Georgiana was so…so close, that he wanted to take off immediately and…" At this point Jane was crying openly and couldn't finish, not that Lizzy needed her too. She got the idea.

So Miss too-good-for-everything Caroline Bingley just couldn't help but twist the knife when given the chance. Lizzy bristled at the knowledge- she would have a thing or two to say to that – _lady_ - when she saw her again. If she ever saw her again, Lizzy reminded herself.

But… something was nagging her about what Jane said- besides the obvious. Georgiana Darcy- now where had she heard that name? It didn't sound all that familiar, just… something tugging at the back of her mind. Darcy- she knew she heard it that name, and recently. But where?

She put it to the back of her mind and concentrated on consoling her sister. It was tearing her up that Jane was hurting and even more so that she knew- or thought she knew- the cause of it. But what could she say?

_Don't worry Jane, Charles didn't breakup with you because he doesn't like you- he did it because his best friend thought you were after his money. How do I know? I practically just made out with the guy whose the cause of your pain. How's that for old habits die hard?_

It wasn't until the sun was just peaking over the horizon when Jane finally said she wanted to take a bath and get some sleep.

"Thank you, Lizzy. I'm sorry I kept you up all night." Jane said regretfully.

"Don't think twice about it. You know I'm always here for you- happily. But Jane, are you sure your going to be okay?" Lizzy asked, worried that Charles insensitive actions would undo all the processing and letting go Jane had done.

Jane gave a deep sigh. "I hope so." And was gone.

Lizzy sat unmoving for a long time as she tried to get her thoughts in order.

How could this have happened? She must have asked herself the same question twenty times since she first called Jane, but was no closer to the answer.

Oh god- what was she going to say when she saw Will? No doubt he would be calling sometime that afternoon. Did she confront him or simply avoid him? Give him no excuse and treat him as callously as he and Charles had treated her sister?

But revenge was not what she was after (not at the present moment, anyway.) No, what she needed most was, one - to learn for sure that Will's Charles and Jane's Charles were one in the same, though she had little doubt at this point; and two- to tear him apart for treating her sister so cruelly.

_No- revise that list_, Lizzy thought to herself, _first things first- sleep_.

Exhausted from the cruise and the emotionally wearing night, Lizzy feel into a deep, if uneasy, sleep.

_After seeing what was going on, after realizing that she wasn't a willing participant, Lizzy flew into a blind rage. She didn't remember consciously making a decision to attack him- it was just a reflex. _

"_You son of bitch!" she screamed at him as her fists flew. _

_He had a hundred pounds and a good six inches on her, but whether from the shock of the attack or his own personally reasons, he wasn't fitting back. At first. _

"_Lizzy!" she heard her scream in concern. _

_In a burst of energy, he'd thrown her off of him and into a stack of big instrument cases. She wasn't put off, however. Two years of Tae Kwon Do paid off well. Knowing she wouldn't beat him with strength, Lizzy stopped being on the attack and concentrated on using his own rage against him. _

_She didn't know how long they were fighting, but they must have been making a lot of noise because in almost no time there was a room full of people pulling them apart and someone was screaming to call the police._

"_She attacked me! That crazy bitch attacked me for no reason!" he was screaming at anyone who would listen._

"_Get off, I'm fine." She told the two people who were holding her. "I just want to see my sister." _

_They let her go, but blocked her path to him incase she decided to take another crack at him. _

"_Where is she?" Lizzy demanded of the people around her. Suddenly the room was packed full, but they parted without comment to reveal her sister. _

"_Oh Jane…" Lizzy whispered, hugging her sobbing sister close. "I'm so sorry…"_

The telephone made her jerk awake. Lizzy reached for it automatically but snatched her hand back when she realized the only person it could be. She was ready to confront him earlier but, still wrapped up in the emotions of her dream, Lizzy chickened out and just let it ring.

Sighing deeply, Lizzy decided to take a shower and get dressed. When deciding what to wear she purposefully put her hair up into a tight bun, then chose her most comfortable, worn in jeans and oldest t-shirt.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought she looked a world's difference from last night when she had dressed for Will. Of course, though she wouldn't admit it, in a way she was still dressing for Will; only with different objectives in mind.

Deciding not to prolong it anymore, and with her ire rising by the minute, she set off to wonder around until she found Will; not knowing his number, or room, or even his last name.

When wondering around inside didn't prove to be useful, Lizzy headed towards the beach, but right before she walked outside something caught her eye.

It was a big plaque on the wall. Not quite knowing why, Lizzy non the less stopped to read it. It was about the founders of Pemberley and all the good they did when they were still alive. Lizzy skimmed most of it until, as her heart stopped and her breath caught, she came to an important part.

"Anne and William Darcy left the care of their favorite get-away into the capable hands of their son Fitzwilliam Darcy and daughter Georgiana."

Irrationally, her first thought was- his name is Fitzwilliam? But then she realized that there it was; proof of everything.

Suddenly feeling she was going to be sick if she didn't get some fresh air, Lizzy hurried out and down to the beach.

After settling herself a little ways down the shoreline, Lizzy lost herself in her thoughts. The first of which was- it couldn't be. Will _owned_ Pemberley? If that was true then everything was true- Charles and Jane, Caroline and Georgiana. She shook her head- what a mess.

"Hey stranger. Why do I get the feeling you've been avoiding me?" Will's voice came from behind her.

Lizzy jumped up, surprised and not yet prepared to face him. He had a forced smile and she could tell he was nervous. Instead of finding it endearing, it only fueled her annoyance more. _Nervous isn't going to come close to what your about to feel, you insensitive ass._

"I guess I've been preoccupied. I was up all night talking to my sister- I mention her to you, remember?" Lizzy asked, surprising herself with how calm her voice sounded.

"Yes, I remember. Is everything okay?" he asked, concerned. She felt a bubble of anger come up. How dare he pretend to be concerned!

"Actually, no. Everything is _not_ okay." She said, irritation showing.

Will looked surprised at her abrupt tone, but asked, "What happened?"

"Something bad. Something really, really bad. I won't tell you the details because frankly, it's none of your business. But after this really, really bad thing happened, something great happened. My sister met a man who was helping her get over this really, really bad thing." she explained slowly, talking to him like he was a child.

"She was even starting to become happy again. She was acting like her old self. But then, thanks to an arrogant, conceited, egotistical, so called 'friend' of his- he was tricked into thinking she was only after his money!" she had lost her forced sense of calm by now and ranted at him.

Will looked at first confused, and then, as it dawned on him, shocked beyond words. "I… I didn't know…"

"That's for damned sure!" Lizzy retorted angrily.

"I thought your family had money…" he added, sounding dazed.

Lizzy's jaw dropped. "_You thought my family had money_? That's all you have to say for yourself! Well thank you very much for making it all so clear. No wonder you gave me the great _honor_ of your company- you thought I was as filthy rich as you! Well, I hate to burst your bubble but no- I don't come from 'old money.' I actually had to _work_ for mine!"

"How dare you assume-" Will started to reply in anger but Lizzy was on a roll.

"How dare _I_ assume? You've got to be kidding me! You've ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of a most beloved sister- and you did it all without any care or concern. Have you even _met_ my sister?"

"I have not. But Charles sister assures me that-" Will began to explain but Lizzy didn't seem inclined to let him finish a sentence.

"Charles sister? You mean _Caroline_? Caroline had the audacity to accuse _my_ sister of being a gold digger? Check your source!" She said, laughing humorlessly.

Caroline had money, sure - but she made it plainly obvious that that was all she cared about and more was never enough.

"Either way, Charles is a good friend of mine and has got too much good humor to know when someone after his money and not him." Will said this without any indication that he felt remorse for what he did.

"If you insinuate that my sister is a gold digger one more time, I will _not_ be responsible for my actions." Lizzy said, her voice sounding deathly cold and quiet.

Will again looked surprised by how angry she was, leading her to believe he didn't see that it was such a big deal.

"For your information, my sister my not have a house in the Hampton's, but she owns her apartment, her own car, has a job that she loves and can put food on her table. I've offered to buy her a bigger place, a better car, a cabin by the lake she loves to visit but she always refuses me.

So yes, _I_ have money but my family doesn't. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression- I wouldn't want you to think I was after your _money_ all this time." She went on in the same cold voice.

"Elizabeth, please-" Will began sounding exasperated. He reached out to touch her but she jerked back as if burned

"Don't." she seethed. "Now that we have that all cleared up, I don't see that we have anything else to say to each other, _Fitzwilliam Darcy_."

With one last look at his shocked face, Lizzy turned on her heels and strode back up the beach.

"Elizabeth!" Will called after her, but Lizzy ignored him and didn't turn around or stop until she was back in her room. Resisting the urge to slam the door, Lizzy just leaned against it and shut her eyes.

"I should have known. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She fumed at herself, hitting her head against the door with every exclamation. "Oh Jane, I've messed everything all up again." She said to the empty room.

Lizzy managed to struggle with her feelings a few more minutes, but eventually it all hit her. She slipped down to sit on the floor, buried her head in her arms and wept.


	6. The Truth Comes Out

_**FutureFamousMovieDirector, Sweetangel99, Forgotten-kiss, Liana, Cancat90, Siry pop, Perana, Riotgirllina, P&P Fan, Restless-soul63, G, Dolphin Dreamer, Check6, GerryPhan, Dixie Volleyball, Randomisation, Erudit, and Aquamum,**_

Wow! Thanks so so much for all your guy's **great** feedback. Ah! I know, I know it's been _forever_! But I haven't forgotten about the story or all of you waiting to see what's going on.

As I'm sure all the writers out there will know too well, when writers block hits it hits hard. But I've come back from it, lol. I've also given you a little treat in this chap for all your patience and support- thanks for reading and Enjoy:)

* * *

**Chapter Six  
_The Truth Comes Out_**

Lizzy hadn't moved for a full twenty minutes after entering her room. Finally, her back protested being in  
one spot for so long and she dragged herself up. After working the kinks out, she began pacing around the  
room. The room that had seemed so spacious before but now couldn't hold in her wild energy.

What was she going to do? Should she go back to be with Jane? She had been running away from her  
problems a lot lately; and anyway, going back would just be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.  
She couldn't bring Jane here, could she? With Will? God- what if Charles showed up?

But… would that be so bad? Maybe they could work it out. Did she _want_ them to work it out? He had dumped  
her sister seemingly without second thought at the suggestion of his friend. His friend Will l- whom she thought  
so nice, so funny, so sweet. God, what a mess.

Lizzy jumped at a knock on the door and instantly feared it was Will. Who else would it be? She considered not  
answering, but her curiosity won out. She wanted to know what he had to say for himself.

"Hello Miss. A letter for you." A bellhop said with a nervous look on his face. Elizabeth didn't know whether she  
was relieved or disappointed.

"Thank you." She said, taking the letter. He tipped his hat and left.

Figures. Didn't even have the courage to come and talk face to face. Lizzy fingered the letter, thinking. She was  
tempted to rip it up just to spite him, but she really wanted to know what it said. With a big sigh she sat on her  
bed and opened it. It was dated from Pemberley, at eleven o'clock in the morning and was as follows:

_Dear Elizabeth_,

_Although you made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing more to do with me,  
I feel I have to defend myself to the offense that has been laid at my charge.  
I only ask that you lend me a little more of your time so that I may explain my  
actions. _

_Charles has been a close friend of mine for many years now and, as I've said  
before, although he is very intelligent he is not all that good at telling a  
person's true nature. I have taken him under my wing, per se, and think of  
him now as I would a brother. _

_He told me a while ago that he had met a girl whom he really liked. This was  
not all that unusual- Charles is very agreeable and finds people he likes  
everywhere he goes. It wasn't until he postponed his trip back home to spend  
more time with her that I started to worry. _

_Charles is young, successful and wealthy. Unfortunately this means he is also  
the target of many fortune hunters. I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm, again,  
insinuating that this includes your sister. Although I did think this was the case  
at first, your speech earlier has persuaded me otherwise. However…_

_After talking with Charles' sister again I am still convinced that I did the right  
thing. Charles was ignoring his company in pursuit of your sister and she didn't  
seem inclined to give him the time of day. From Caroline I understand that her  
look and manners were open, cheerful and engaging but without and symptom  
of peculiar regard. _

_If you disagree, then Caroline and I have been mistaken. Your superior  
knowledge of your sister, of course, would make you the better judge. And if I  
_was_ mistaken then your anger and resentment are not unfounded._

_It is done, however, and it was done for the best. There's nothing more I can say,  
no other apology I can offer. If I've hurt your sister feelings it was unknowingly  
done._

_On another note, I will be leaving today for business. I don't want to cause you  
any more uneasiness, and I want you to be able to enjoy Pemberley without  
worrying about me showing up to bother you. _

_I don't know how long you've known I who I really was, but I guess it doesn't  
really matter now. I had a lot of fun with you Elizabeth, and I'm truly sorry for  
the trouble I've caused. _

Fitzwilliam Darcy 

Elizabeth read the letter three times before putting it down.

Well… that was that. He was gone - and good riddance too. Arrogant ass. Despite his words Elizabeth didn't  
feel he was really sorry. Well hell- she still had the rest of the week here and she was going to waste it. Gritting  
her teeth with a firm resolve never to think about Will again, she reached for the phone.

"Lizzy, do you know who's here?" Jane's soft voice asked through the phone.

"I can take a guess." Lizzy replied, smiling.

It was the early the next morning and although Lizzy had talked to her sister since, she hadn't mention anything of  
her plans.

"And before you say anything just know that the tickets are nonrefundable. And there's a substantial cancellation  
fee if you don't show up here. So there's really no point in arguing." Lizzy informed her sister with a triumphant smile.

After getting Will's letter the day before, Lizzy had called her travel agent to book the next flight out of Florida.  
Afterwards she called the front desk and made a reservation for Jane.

Well, she had tried to anyway. It seemed there was a three-month waiting list. The only reason Lizzy had gotten  
in so quick was because of Charles' connections, and she suspected her own reputation helped some. So,  
instead she asked if she could have her sister share her room.

She was taken pity on and given the go ahead after being patched through to Mrs. Reynolds, the woman who had  
showed Lizzy around her first day and who she found out was the actually the manager.

The third call was made to Charlotte, a friend the sister's had grown up with. Lizzy knew Jane would need some  
encouragement and Charlotte was just the one to give it. She knew just how to nudge Jane subtly enough not to  
seem forceful.

"Lizzy." Jane sighed and she imagined Jane shaking her head.

"Come on Jane. It'll be great- this place is _amazing_. It's just what you need. And we'll be together." Lizzy all  
but pleaded.

"You shouldn't have gone through all this trouble." Jane said sternly; Lizzy grinned despite Jane's words. She knew  
if Jane were absolutely set against coming she would say it.

"It wasn't any trouble. You ticket was a steal and we're sharing a room." Elizabeth informed her.

"Well, guess I'd better go pack, then." Jane conceded.

"Excellent. I'll pick you up tonight at the airport. Don't forget your bathing suit." She smiled. "Let me talk to  
Charlotte really quick."

"Sure. See you tonight." They said their goodbyes and then Jane passed the phone over to Charlotte.

"Good job Char." Lizzy said when she was on the phone.

"It was nothing." Charlotte said modestly she paused and speak a little softer into the phone. "She's really broken  
up about this whole Charles thing, Liz. I think this is just what she needs."

Lizzy sighed when Charlotte confirmed what she'd feared. "I hope it works. She's been through so much lately."  
She said and there was a slight pause as both girls reflected on the past year.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to tag along Char?" Lizzy asked again.

"It sounds like fun but I'm so wrapped up in this new project that I couldn't get away. Thanks for inviting me,  
though." Charlotte replied.

They talked for a few more minutes about Charlotte's work before she remembered Jane never packed the right  
outfits for vacation and the friends disconnected with the promise that Charlotte would call after she put Jane on  
the plane.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Lizzy ignored her earlier resolve and picked up Will's letter again. She was  
on her way to memorizing it when a line in the last paragraph caught her eye.

_I don't know how long you've known I who I really was, but I guess it doesn't really matter now._

He probably thought she knew who he was the whole time. Probably thought she pretended not to know because  
she was some fortune hunter looking to get her hands on his money. Lizzy swallowed a scowl before a passing  
thought made her heart stop.

If Will - _Fitzwilliam_ - really did own Pemberley then he probably knew who she was from the beginning. Lizzy shook  
her head- she'd been so stupid. To think she actually believed they were anything alike.

After finding out her whole name he no doubt recognized her from all the media attention she'd gotten recently. Well,  
that was just fine- she didn't care anymore. She just wanted to know what he'd heard. What were people saying  
now, anyway?

She Googled her name.

"**_Rock star accused of attempted murder!_**" Lizzy sighed and clicked on the first headline that came up.

"_Famed young musician Elizabeth Bennet – better known as Liz of Oblong Urn_ _-  
has been arrested in her home town in Florida on a charge of attempted murder.  
Miss Bennett allegedly assaulted her best friend- and lead guitarist of her band-  
George Wickham after discovering he and her sister had a secret relationship._

_Several witness say Bennett was so enraged when she found out that she openly  
threatened to kill Wickham. _

"Liz was always jealous of Jane and I- we'd had a thing a long time ago and I guess  
she never got over it. That's why Jane and I had to keep it secret- we knew that if Liz  
ever found out she'd go ballistic. And she did." _Says Wickham in a press release._

_Edward Gardiner, lawyer for the defense, says attempted murder is an outrageous  
stretch. _

"The truth is Wickham forced himself on Jane and Lizzy, naturally, came to her defense.  
All Wickham is trying to do is scare us into submission with the threat of bad publicity  
and a drawn out trail to pull her name through the mud. It won't work. My client knows  
what she did was wrong- violence is never the answer. We've agreed to community  
service and Lizzy even agreed to take an anger management class- a benevolent gesture  
considering she's never had any problems before this incident."

_The Bennett sisters are staying at home for the duration of the trail, which will begin  
one month from today, and have declined to make a comment. _


	7. The Unlikely Meeting

Riotgirllina, Gingerspice, NNichollaa, Lina, Hawkeye Chuui, FutureFamousMovieDirector, MorganisM-Lve, Forgotten-kiss, Dels, Fireangel621, Randomisation, Liana, Siry pop, GerryPhan, Dolphin Dreamer (thanks for pointing out the mistakes- I owe you!) ,Check6, and ILoveIt09

Wow! Seventeen reveiws! And alot more readers- Thank you all **SO** much for your great enthusiasm and wonderful feedback! Just when you think she's given up on the story she posts a new chapter ;) Well, I told you I haven't given up- I'm still working on it in secret. :) I know it's been a long, loooong time, but here is a new chapter for Pemberley Waters- so I hope you like it! Tell me what you think...

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**  
_The Unlikely Meeting  
_slightly revised

_

* * *

_

"Hello, Mrs. Reynolds." Lizzy said pleasantly to the older woman.

"Good afternoon, Miss Bennett. How are you today?" She replied in kind, a friendly  
smile on her face.

"Very well. I can't thank you enough for letting my sister come and stay with me."  
Lizzy said gratefully. A knowing look flashed behind Mrs. Reynolds eyes and was  
gone a second later as the woman brushed off the gratitude with an easy smile.

"It was nothing. Was there something you needed?" She asked, changing the subject.  
Lizzy had a sudden, irrational fear that Will had told her everything that had transpired  
between them. Was it he that had actually given permission for Jane to come? So she  
did what she'd learned to do after becoming a famous rock star - pushed down the panic  
and smiled.

"Yes. My sister will be arriving tonight and I was wondering if there was anywhere I could  
rent a car or, if not, if I could have a cab called here to take me to the airport." She asked.

"Well let me think now. There's nowhere around here to rent a car, not until you get into  
town, anyway. As for a cab, I could certainly call you one but we have drivers here if  
you'd prefer." Mrs. Reynolds offered.

"That would be great. Could they be ready to leave at eight?" Lizzy asked.

The two worked the details out and Lizzy again gave her thanks, Mrs. Reynolds again said  
it was nothing and they both parted thinking the other was very agreeable.

Lizzy checked her watch on the way back to her room. It was after three now, Jane's plane  
left at five and wouldn't be arriving until nine. She would be getting there at four to go  
through customs, which meant Charlotte was probably already driving her to the airport  
and which also meant that Lizzy now had nothing to occupy her until it was time to leave.

With nothing to distract her, her thoughts naturally wondered back to Will. She was both  
happy and disappointed at his leaving, depending on her mood. Sometimes she was happy  
that she didn't have the risk of running into him, and other times, like now, she really wanted  
to talk it out with him again. Not that she gave him much opportunity to talk last time.

But now she had something else to address him about. How much, exactly, did he know  
about her? She was so sure after receiving his letter that he must know everything. Well,  
everything that the press was saying about her, anyway. But – and here, safely back in  
her room, she took the letter out again – but there was nothing about her in his letter.  
Mostly he talked about the Jane/Charles situation (as Lizzy now thought of it).

The thing that set her off was his line about _her_ knowing who _he_ was. She had thrown his  
real name in his face but he still addressed her as Elizabeth, not Liz as she was known.

Lizzy threw the letter on the floor. And _why_ was she obsessing so much, anyway? Will was  
gone, and there was no chance of ever seeing him again. Plain and simple.

She flopped back onto the bed and was able to stay still for a full minute before sitting up  
and retrieving the papers from the floor. He was very high and mighty throughout the letter,  
until the last line, in fact.

_I don't know how long you've known I who I really was, but I guess it doesn't really matter  
now. I had a lot of fun with you Elizabeth, and I'm truly sorry for the trouble I've caused. _

Fitzwilliam Darcy

For some reason, the fact that he'd signed his full name - and not just Will - bothered her. It's  
not like she went _looking_ for his true identity. She'd had it thrust upon her. Once she knew  
his connection with Charles and his sister's name, who wouldn't be able to figure it out? The  
Darcy name was all over Pemberley, for Gods sake.

It's not like she didn't wish this hadn't happened, either. As mad as she was, she could fully  
admit that she'd had fun with him. They're similar sense of humor made for a great conversation.  
Although he was shy and slightly reserved at first, playing in the game room had opened  
him up. And God but he was a good kisser.

With that last thought, Lizzy folded The Letter (with a capitol L, as she now thought of it)  
back up and hid it at the bottom of her suitcase, more determined then ever not to think of  
Will Darcy.

Lizzy checked her watch again. Jane would just be getting to the airport right now, and  
Charlotte promised to call after she dropped her off. Restricted to the room least she missed  
the call, Lizzy booted up her computer in hopes of distraction.

* * *

Jane and Elizabeth spent the next few days just keeping busy. They went to the beach  
often and by the end of the week, Jane's fair skin was as tan as it ever got. Lizzy took  
after their father in that respect, and was now had skin to match her caramel eyes. 

"This is the life." Lizzy repeated her earlier sentiments as the sun crept behind the ocean.

"You said it." Jane agreed sleepily.

Lizzy regarded her sister unobtrusively behind her sunglasses. Naturally quiet, it was  
often hard for others to realize when Jane was in a funk. Lizzy and Jane were very close,  
however and she could tell Jane wasn't getting over Charles as fast as she'd hoped -  
no matter how Jane pretended otherwise.

"Maybe we should stay another week." Lizzy suggested, catching Jane's attention.  
"Well, school doesn't start for another month, you'll have plenty of time to work out  
your lesson planes." Jane was a second grade teacher. "What do you say?"

"Isn't this place booked months in advance?" asked Jane, ever the voice of reason.

"Oh. Well, we can just stay in town. It won't be as _glamorous_ as Pemberley, but it'll  
still be nice. Besides, there'll probably be more things to do in town. At least there'll  
be people to talk to." Lizzy said.

Jane sat back and regarded the now dark ocean once more.

"More people means more recognition. I thought you were trying to be inconspicuous."  
She countered, but Lizzy waved it off.

"You're giving me too much credit, I think. Not all that many people recognize me."  
She replied, thinking of Will.

"Well, if you really want to." Jane aggressed at last and Lizzy smiled.

* * *

"Toss my laptop in that bag, will you?" Lizzy asked Jane as she finished packing  
their bathroom stuff away. 

Jane did as she asked without comment as the bellhop knocked on the already open  
door.

"The car is here for you, miss." He directed to Jane with an overly friendly smile.

"Thank you. Do you mind?" Jane returned, gesturing to the two large, overstuffed  
suitcases by the door.

"Yes, Ma'am." He smiled again, then loaded the bags onto a cart he'd brought with him.

"I think that's it." Lizzy said, emerging from the bathroom. "I'm going to go checkout,  
you mind going down with the bags?"

"Of course not. See you in the car." Jane replied amenably, and then preceded the bellhop  
out of the door.

Lizzy cleared her throat when she caught him eyeing Jane and he looked away guiltily,  
following her with his eyes now firmly set on the ground.

After taking one last sweep of the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Lizzy  
made her way down to the lobby.

"Hello. I'm checking out of 204." Lizzy said with a friendly smile at the woman behind the  
counter. The receptionist returned her smile, asked her how everything was and typed  
something onto the computer.

"Okay, let's see…" She said, scanning the screen with a slight frown. "It looks like you've  
already taken care of your bill."

"No, I don't think so. I'm just now checking out." Lizzy replied, handing her the key as proof.

"204. Elizabeth Bennett?" She asked, eyes raised.

"That's right." Lizzy replied.

"Yes Ma'am, Everything's already been taken care of." The receptionist reiterated.

"I'm sorry, I think there's been come kind of mistake." Lizzy said with a puzzled frown. Was  
it possible Jane paid the bill? No- Jane lived comfortable, but she couldn't have afforded a  
two-week bill at Pemberley Waters.

"Mrs. Reynolds." The girl said, throwing a slightly relieved look over Lizzy's shoulder.  
"There seems to be a problem with Ms. Bennett's bill."

"Ah, Yes. Cindy, will you run these to Danny please?" Mrs. Reynolds said, handing the  
girl a stack of letters and turning back to Lizzy. With one last curios look at Lizzy, Cindy  
took off to do what she was told.

"Now, about this problem." She said with an easy smile.

"It says I've paid," Lizzy shrugged helplessly. "But I haven't."

"Yes…" Mrs. Reynolds looked like she was choosing her words carefully. "To tell you  
the truth, Miss Bennett, Mr. Darcy wishes to… offer his sincerest apologies in regards  
to your… ah, disagreement, and wants you to know your bill has been taken care of."

Lizzy was so shocked she didn't speak for a full minute. Will felt so bad he was footing  
the bill for her? Of course, it's not like it's any skin of his bones- he did own the place.  
The more she thought of it, the angrier she got. He probably thought she'd be so  
grateful, that she'd saved for months just to have enough. Jerk.

"Please inform Mr. Darcy that I am perfectly able to take care of my own bill." Elizabeth  
replied curtly.

Mrs. Reynolds eyes widened slightly in surprise and looked like she was about to reply,  
but after a slight hesitation, brought up her bill.

Lizzy fumed all the way out to the car. Not waiting Jane to see her upset and start asking  
questions, she pulled a natural face before she reached her.

"Ready?" She asked, forcing a small smile.

"All set. Are you okay?" Jane asked, eyeing her.

"Just a little trouble with the bill, but it's all taken care of." Lizzy said dismissively.

"Come on, out two-bit motel awaits us." She joked with a real smile.

"Well, when you put it _that_ way." Jane smiled.

* * *

They had been at their hotel two days when it happened. The sisters were in town having  
breakfast when Lizzy had an idea. 

"How about we check out that sports store down the road on the way home?" she suggested.

"Sports store? For what?" Jane wondered, stealing a strawberry from Lizzy's plate.

"I was thinking… it's such a hassle to find a ride everywhere- we should just get some skate's.  
It's a small town and we're close to the beach, which is where we'll probably be spending most  
of our time anyway." Lizzy said, looking to Jane.

"Good idea., it'll be fun to skate again. God, remember when we skated everywhere?" Jane  
reminisced.

"Before we learned how to drive." Lizzy laughed. "Then we only did it for fun."

"We should stop by the bookstore while we're at it. I'm on the last chapter of the last book I  
brought."

Lizzy agreed and, after paying the bill, the sisters left the café.

"What do you think?" Jane asked, squinting into the sun.

"I think we should have brought our sunglasses." Lizzy replied, shielding her eyes.

"I mean should we walk or is it too hot?" Jane reiterated.

"It's not that far- and we're Floridians- it's never too hot for us." Lizzy grinned at Jane as the  
two started up the street.

"Speak for yourself." Jane bantered back, pealing her hair off her neck and into a ponytail.

A few hours later, loaded down with books and with wheels on their feet, Lizzy and Jane were  
finally making their way back to the Hotel.

"Hey- how about a pit stop." Lizzy pointed towards a Stop and Go. "I have a hankering for  
some chocolate milk."

Jane nodded in reply; shifted her bag of books to her other shoulder and followed Lizzy off  
the sidewalk.

After switching into their Birkenstocks, their skates flung over their shoulders, Lizzy and Jane  
stepped gratefully into the air-conditioned heaven that was Stop and Go.

They split up inside, Lizzy heading for the drinks and, since neither had eaten since breakfast,  
Jane went to the chip aisle.

"Let's see…. Soda, soda, soda…beer…water…ah ha! There you are." Lizzy grinned in triumph  
as she pulled two Yoohoo's from the fridge. After a pause, she grabbed a big water for them to  
share as well, and then went to find Jane.

"Hey Janie- score!" Lizzy said holding up the drinks. Jane turned to her. Her face, which  
minutes ago was as red as Lizzy's was now as white as if she'd seen a ghost.

"What's wron…" Lizzy trailed off, for she had just seen what Jane was looking at. Or, more  
specifically, who.

"Charles!" Lizzy exclaimed, shocked beyond words. Then she caught whom he was  
standing next to.

"We meet again." Will said with an obviously uneasy smile.

* * *

Okay... So I can't go for very long without Will. Can you blame me? Next Chapter is going to be a good one, if I do say so myself. And no, I'm not trying to tease you and no, it won't be another month before I update. I'll go work on it now, just for you guys ;)

* * *


	8. Sharp words and news from the outside

* * *

**Gingerspice, Dixie Volleyball, Lynh, TheBrassPotato, Hawkeye Chuui, ILoveIt09, Nnichollaa, Mara look-a-like, Kate, sweetangel99, Black Knight63, Gentileschi, check6, micheped, LiLyFlOwEREvANsPoTteR, Dels, Ettenna, Marshie12, MorganisM-Lve, Randomisation, purplehairedpunk, Liana, Dolphin Dreamer, GerryPhan, forgotten-kiss, and JennaB!**

Woo hoo! I made it to 100 reviews! Thanks guys!

Wow that's a lot of you! Not that I'm complaining- far from it. It's good to see all you delurkers out there, and of course my regulars (hey guys!). Its so nice to get all your comments - it spurs me on to write more. Yes, that could be construed into blackmail... ;)  
Well, this is kind of short, but I wanted to keep my promise and update sooner than I usually do. I would have had it up earlier, actually, but I was house sitting all week and didn't have access to my computer.  
Also, it's short because I've been working on a later chapter. Do you (the writers out there) ever have an idea for something to happen a couple of chapters in the future? Well, it happens to me all the time and I've figure as soon as I get it out of my system, I can concentrate on the present. :) Anyway, here we go... Don't forget to let me know what you think! (I love that part) :)

* * *

**Chapter Eight  
**_Sharp words and news from the outside_

"What are you doing here?" Lizzy asked Will, trying for curious but sounded  
accusatory.

"We uh…" Will glanced at Charles, who was still staring at Jane in shock. "We're  
headed for Pemberley."

Elizabeth didn't reply. She was thinking very fast on how to get her sister out of  
this mess, except she kept coming back to the fact that Will was standing five feet  
from her. He was wearing a simple, sleeveless white shirt and a pair of black jeans -  
even though in this heat, black is the _last_ thing you want to be wearing. Lizzy  
decided that whether he was dressed up or dressed down, Will looked hot; and  
it had nothing to do with the temperature. For some reason, this only irritated her.

"So…" Will finally broke the awkward silence. "What are you guys doing here?"  
he asked, trying for causal but sounding too curious.

"Getting a drink." Elizabeth replied smartly.

Will narrowed his eyes at her. "I meant." He spoke slow and clear, as if she hadn't  
understood. "Why are you still in town? I thought you'd left two days ago."

"Just because we left Pemberley, doesn't mean we had to leave the island; or do  
you own that too?" she snapped back.

"No, I don't. But I guess you would know if I did, wouldn't you?" Will asked, loosing  
all pretence of civility.

"How dare you-" Elizabeth started to reply, but was cut off.

"Lizzy?" Jane asked wonderingly.

Lizzy turned to her sister and noticed she and Charles had finally snapped out of  
their little trance in time to catch their companions about to rip each other's throats  
out. They were now looking at Lizzy and Will, trying to figure out how they could be  
exchanging such harsh words when they seemingly didn't even know each other.

"Come on, Jane. I'm starved. Let's go get some real food." Lizzy finally said, taking  
the chips from Jane and putting them back on the shelf.

She then took her sisters hand and pulled her towards the checkout counter. By the  
time they paid Jane had remember to be shy around Charles just as he had a sudden  
urge to ask her a million questions. Just after getting out of the door, and after asking  
how long they'd been on the island and where they were now staying, Charles  
remarked on Jane's skin.

"You've got a nice tan… you look great, Jane." He said with a smile.

Jane met his eye for the first time since they first saw each other inside. She smiled  
back and Charles was once again caught in her gaze. So caught up in fact, that he  
missed the scowl Lizzy sent him, so she directed it toward Will, who was looking  
at the couple with a blank expression.

Since her death glares weren't working, Lizzy decided it was time to get her sister  
out of there before it got any worse.

"Jane." She said, trying to catch her attention. "The drinks are congealing." She  
tried again, this time taking a piece of Jane's shirt and tugging.

"Okay." Jane said, snapping herself out of Charles gazeand following Lizzy to a  
nearby bench. Unfortunately, so did the boys.

"You guys must be great skaters to be able to get around town like that." Charles,  
bless him, was not giving up. Will still hovered a few feet back, but silently agreed.

"Mmm." Lizzy said as the pair switched their shoes for their skates. '_Why the heck is  
he still hanging around_?' she thought to herself. '_He doesn't even have the courtesy  
to try and avoid her_.'

"Hey- why don't we give you girls a ride?" Charles asked as soon as they finished  
lacing their skates up.

Lizzy, who had finished first and just finished taking a drink of water when he asked,  
laughed at the implication. If she didn't know him better, she'd think that sounded  
like a come on.

All eyes turned to her outburst, but she covered it with a cough. Jane, who knew  
her sisters mind was in the gutter, glared disapprovingly.

"No thanks." She said, not being able to repress a grin.

Charles looked confused.

"We're not that far." Jane covered.

"Oh." He said, disappointed.

Lizzy then stood up, did a small turn to get her balance and to stop from rolling down  
an incline and reached for her bag of books. Will, upon seeing what she was doing,  
beat her to it.

"At least let us take these bags for you." He offered, not letting go of the books when  
Lizzy tried to take them from him. Lizzy guessed he was trying to make peace but  
wondered why he bothered.

"That would be nice." Jane accepted before Lizzy could refuse and Charles promptly  
relieved Jane of her burden.

Lizzy frowned, but allowed Will to reclaim her bag.

"We're staying at the Lampton Inn." She told him, in case he hadn't been listening  
when Jane told Charles. Then, forcing herself to be polite, she thanked them. Will  
had the decency not to look surprised.

After another offer to give them a ride- which Lizzy, this time with a glance at Jane,  
refused again- the boys said goodbye with the promise of seeing their things safely  
back to the hotel.

The girls started back to the hotel in silence until Jane asked, "How do you know  
Will Darcy?"

Lizzy, who had been hoping in the shock of seeing Charles that Jane would forget  
the exchange she saw between her and Will, grasped for an excuse.

"I… met him at Pemberley." The only thing she could think of was the truth, she  
just hoped Jane would have at least forgotten that the man Lizzy went out with at  
Pemberley just so happened to be named Will.

Either Jane had gotten the message that Lizzy didn't want to elaborate or she was  
too caught up in her own thoughts of Charles, but neither sister said anything else  
until they reached the Lambton Inn.

By the time the girls had reached the Inn, the books had been sent to their rooms  
and the boys had, in Lizzy's opinion, thankfully left.

"Well, that was a work out." Jane remarked, dropping her skates onto the floor by  
the door. Lizzy followed suit, then flopped down onto her twin-sized bed.

"With all the swimming and skating, no to mention the excellent tan, you are going  
to be one good looking second grade teacher." Lizzy remarked humorously.

"At least I'll be in shape enough to keep up with them." Jane grinned back at her  
sister from the bathroom doorway. "I think I'll hit the shower first, if you don't mind."

"Be my guest. I'm too beat to move for a while anyway." Lizzy replied, rolling over  
onto her stomach as Jane disappeared into the bathroom.

After lying down for a few minutes, almost dozing off, Lizzy impulsively reached  
over and switched on the radio. As she was flipping through the stations, she  
recognized the last strands of one of her songs, much to her surprise. As the song  
ended the DJ cut in.

"And that, of course, was Oblong Urn. Speaking of which, have you heard the  
latest about lead vocalist Liz? It seems after the short trial, she whist her sister  
off to somewhere unknown. Liz has been noticeably absent since allegedly  
attacking her lead guitarist, George Wickham, and the rumors about where she is  
are flying."

"With the help of Wickham himself." A female voice cut in. "I don't know- I  
was on his side in the beginning, but now I think Liz has had a lot of class  
throughout this whole thing."

"Yeah, every other day Wickhams in some paper or on some show slandering  
Liz's name and Liz herself hasn't said anything against him other that he  
attacked her sister first." The male added.

"Anyone who tries to prove themselves right that much has to have something  
to hide." The female told the listeners.

"Well, up next we'll have some tickets to DMB's concert-" Liz cut off the voiced  
and laid back down.

Through all of this she'd gotten mixed responses from the fans and media. She  
got a lot of ridicule for not publicly sparring with Wickham, but now it seemed  
to have paid off. She didn't realize how good it would feel to have even one little  
media show agree with her. It had been very hard not to confront Wickham and  
his lies about her on everything from their band to her personal life.

Lizzy wrote the songs and they boy collaborated on the music. George was a  
genius with his guitar, but as a band mate and friend her left much to be desired.  
There wasn't much she could do in the middle of a tour, and the longer she  
waited the harder it was to break up her steadily rising band.

Thinking of Wickham for some reason made her think of Will. How crazy was it  
that they had met today? And how would seeing Charles again affect Jane?

* * *

PS- A couple quick things. You know how Liz's group is called Oblong Urn? I got the name by rearranging the letters in Longbourn. Pretty cool, huh? (I also just liked the sound of Oblong Urn)  
Next chappie we'll meet two more Characters from the book that we haven't seen yet so far... can you guess who? ;)  
Thanks for reading!

* * *


	9. Fun at the beach

**_Check6, JennaB, MorganisM-Lve, Gentileschi, xXx-dee-xXx, GerryPhan, and Dolphin Dreamer_ ( who tried extra hard to review- thanks!)**

**Thanks you guys! I love your feedback. I'm so glad you're all into this story because I'm having a ball writing it. Esp in these fun chapters coming up (hint, hint) :)**

**Dolphin Dreamer had some trouble leaving a review, so to anyone who tried but couldn't get trough- thanks anyway :)**

**Okay, you asked for it and I delivered (go me!) An extra long, quickly posted chapter with two new(ish) characters. Who could they be? Well, maybe you should read...**

**Chapter nine  
**_Fun at the beach_

The girls woke early the next morning, as was their habit. After a quick breakfast, they  
packed up some towels, a sheet, sunblock, and a book for each of them. Lizzy spilt the load into  
each of their bags so that each were carrying their own towel and book and while Lizzy  
carried the sunblock, Jane took the sheet and was responsible for the money they  
brought for lunch. When they had everything, the sisters grabbed their skates and headed out.

Stepping outside from the cool of the air-conditioning was like walking into a sauna.  
Although it was still early in the morning, the sun was beating down on them unrelentingly.  
Lizzy and Jane were quick in stretching out and putting their skates on and in no time were  
on their way to the beach.

Although it would pick up around lunch, right now the traffic – including pedestrians,  
bikers and other skaters as well as cars, was light and they made it to their favorite spot  
on the beach in record time.

Jane laid down the sheet they used to lay out on and Lizzy used their shoes to keep it in  
place. When they had everything set up, the girls took off their outer clothes so that they  
were only in their suits. Jane immediately took out her book and worked on her tan while  
Lizzy went straight to the water.

Even before they took this vacation together this was the norm from all their trips to the  
beach growing up and neither needed to explain what they wanted to do. Lizzy didn't need  
to know if Jane was planning on coming swimming later with her- she knew, in a half hour  
or so, that Jane would soon want to cool off from the heat. After swimming for a while, both  
sisters would then go to lie out until they were too hot again.

This went on until lunchtime, where the girls would pack up again and walk- it was to short  
a trip to skate- to a nearby café.

All went exactly as it always had until, right before lunch, there was a hitch in the routine.

"Are you getting hungry?" Jane asked. She was faced toward the ocean so as not to get  
knocked under by any waves. It wasn't that rough, and Lizzy, who had spent more time  
in the water than her sister, could feel when a wave was coming with her back turned and  
so faced the beach. Lizzy was distracted and didn't answer Jane.

It wasn't that crowded, especially down where Lizzy and Jane had set up camp far from the  
pier where most people went; but a group of four came up and set their stuff down right next  
to where Lizzy and Jane's were. She couldn't really make out their faces from this distance,  
but it looked like two girls and two guys, probably around their age.

"Lizzy?" Jane asked again.

"Yeah, let's get out." Lizzy replied. There was just something off about the group and she'd  
rather not have to deal with people messing with their stuff. Besides which- she _was_ hungry.

As they swam to shore, Lizzy kept her eye on the group. They had just finished setting up  
their stuff, including umbrellas, beach chairs, a radio and a cooler. As she got closer, she  
found she was right about their guessed age. One of the girls looked young, but the two guys  
and the other girls looked to be all around the same age as Lizzy and Jane.

Actually, Lizzy thought as they hit shore and stated walking towards their stuff, they weren't  
half bad looking. Both shirtless, one blonde and the other dark haired, Lizzy could tell they were  
well muscled, but not in a body builder kind of way. The blonde one looked cute, but the dark  
haired guy really caught her attention. In fact, he kind of looked like…

"Oh you've _got_ to be kidding me." Lizzy sighed.

Jane gave her a quizzical look before following her gaze. When her eyes landed on the group  
who'd set up right next to them, she gasped.

"This is just getting ridiculous." Lizzy told Jane as, almost the same time she saw him, Charles  
spotted the girls waking towards them.

"Hey girls! Well, isn't this a nice surprise." He said cheerfully. But despite his words, Lizzy  
could tell he wasn't at all surprised to see them there. Neither, she noticed with a quick glance  
his way, was Will.

"Yeah, some coincidence, huh?" Lizzy replied darkly and Jane nudged her.

"Jane, Eliza, it's really been too long." One of the girls said with obviously fake enthusiasm.  
Lizzy cringed unconsciously at the voice and wondered if it could get any worse.

"Hello Caroline." Jane said with her usual pleasantness.

Lizzy didn't see how Jane could be so nice to someone who did whatever she could to brake  
her and Charles up… but then again Jane didn't know Caroline did anything like that. Only  
Lizzy really knew what happen. Well her and- she glanced again at Will.

While Caroline and Jane exchanged the usual pleasantries- how have you been, what have you  
been up to, that sort of thing- Lizzy glanced at the last member of the party. The girl was young,  
much younger than the rest. She looked to be Lydia's age- maybe Katy's. With long blonde hair  
and fair skin, it was no wonder they brought an umbrella with them to protect her fair skin.

As if feeling Lizzy's eyes on her, the girl looked up to meet her gaze. Lizzy offered a friendly  
smile and a little half wave. The girl blushed, smiled uncomfortably, and then looked down  
again. Lizzy didn't know if she'd offended her or if the girl was just extremely shy.

She resisted the urge to meet Will's gaze and instead tuned back into Jane's conversation.

"Oh we've been here a couple hours at least. Actually, Lizzy and I were just about to go get  
some lunch." Jane said in response to something Caroline had asked.

"That sounds like a great idea! Maybe we could join you." Charles said with enthusiasm. He  
was oblivious to the glare Caroline and Lizzy sent him.

"Charles." Caroline said tensely. "We _just_ got here."

"Oh, well..." Charles hesitated, and then looked excited. "I know- why don't Jane and I go get  
some food and bring it back- we can have a little picnic."

There was no way Lizzy would leave Jane alone with Charles, not to mention the fact that she'd  
rather not be left alone with Caroline and Will. And whoever that girl is, she doesn't seem to  
friendly, either.

She looked to see Jane's reaction to Charles' ploy to be alone with her. She looked hesitant,  
but Lizzy was going to have to ask Jane what she wanted to do.

"Janie, will you help me find my cell phone before you go?" Lizzy asked, pulling her over to  
where they had their stuff laid out.

"I'll go with you if you want me to." Lizzy half whispered to Jane as they pretended to look  
through one of the bags.

"No, we need to talk. He has to know that it's not okay to just show up and pretend like nothings  
happened." Jane said determinedly.

Lizzy looked up at her sister in surprise. Jane was the sweetest person Lizzy knew, but she  
often thought too well of people. This meant that she was also too apt to forgive and forget - to  
give people second chances. This statement from her eased Lizzy considerably, and she wasn't  
so nervous to leave Jane and Charles alone together.

"Where _is_ your cell, anyway?" Jane asked as Lizzy gave up the pretense and stood.

"Oh. Duh- here it is." Lizzy said, picking up her discarded shorts and pulling it out of the pocket  
with a wink. Jane shook her head with a smile as she pulled on her shorts and shirt over her now  
dry bathing suit.

"Very subtle, Liz." Jane said with a laugh as the sisters rejoined Charles' group.

"Ready to go?" Charles asked with a smile.

"Sure. We'll be back soon." Jane said to Lizzy.

"Don't take to long, huh?" Lizzy said. Jane promised and the two set off up the beach.

Lizzy turned back to Caroline, Will and the mystery girl and stood, a little awkwardly, until Caroline  
spook up.

"Eliza-" she started.

"Lizzy." Elizabeth corrected her for the thousandth time.

"Of course. I don't believe you've met William-" Caroline started again but Lizzy cut off her  
once more.

"Actually, we've met. Hey again, Will." Lizzy greeted him, mostly just to see the look on  
Caroline's face.

"Hey, Elizabeth." Will replied with a small smile.

She wasn't disappointed. Caroline looked shocked, not doubt wondering how the two had  
met, and how Lizzy knew Will enough to get such a friendly response from the normally silent  
and reserved William Darcy.

"I don't believe you've met my sister, however. Georgiana, this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, Georgiana."  
Will introduced them. Lizzy walked close enough to shake the shy girls hand.

"Nice to meet you. Will's told me a lot about you." Lizzy said kindly.

"He's told me a lot about you, too." She replied in a soft voice and a small smile.

"He has?" Lizzy asked, surprised. Then she smiled. "Will doesn't _know_ a lot about me." She told  
Georgiana, with a glance at Will.

"Oh well, not a lot…" Georgiana replied anxiously and also glanced at Will; afraid she unintentionally  
let something she wasn't supposed to slip.

"Don't worry." Lizzy laughed trying to put the girl at ease. "I was just teasing."

Georgiana looked slightly relieved, and even gave a tentative smile.

"Well…" Lizzy started after a few moments of increasingly awkward silence. "I think I'm going to go  
back in the water until Jane and Charles get back with the food."

She wanted to escape Caroline's not so subtle glares and Will's unnerving silence, but Georgiana  
didn't seem so bad.

"Want to come?" she asked, directing it to the group but looking at Georgiana.

"I… I'm not a very good swimmer." She replied warily.

"It's shallow pretty far out, and the waves aren't rough." Lizzy said enticingly.

"Well…" she hesitated, looking to Will.

"Oh go on. It'll be fine." He said with an encouraging smile. This seemed to put her at ease, and she  
agreed.

"Okay, let's go." She shed her sundress to reveal a blue one-piece that matched her eyes.

"Anyone else?" Lizzy asked before they took off.

Will said he had brought some files he had to look over and Caroline declared she 'wasn't a swimmer'  
and that she'd be better disposed to keep 'Dear William' company. Will insisted he wouldn't be good  
company. Lizzy suspected from the glare she got at daring to know him already that Caroline wasn't  
about to miss an opportunity for some time alone with Will and so didn't press her to join them.

"So what kind of music do you like?" Lizzy asked Georgiana as they stepped into the water and began  
walking out.

"Classical mostly. Oldies, too. I like some new stuff, but only actual band I like is Dave Matthews band."  
Georgina replied.

"No way! I _love_ Dave Matthews band!" Lizzy replied excitedly.

"You do?" Georgiana asked elatedly.

"Oh yeah. They're my favorite band. They are _so_ good. Have you ever heard them live?" Lizzy asked.

"Once. Will took me. It was awesome – they played mostly their old stuff, which I like better. I like their  
new stuff too, but my favorite songs are their old ones." Georgiana, when talking about something she  
loved looked animated and Lizzy could hardly believe she was the shy girl from a few minutes ago.

To keep her going, Lizzy kept her talking about the band, their favorite songs, and in no time Will was  
waving them up from the beach- Jane and Charles had returned with lunch.

"That was fast." Georgiana observed.

"Mmm. Good thing too, I'm starved." Lizzy chuckled.

They kept up their discussion, which had turned from bands to books, up until they reached the group.  
As soon as Georgiana was in range, Will grabbed her and instructed her to put on more sun block while  
Lizzy sought out Jane to see how it went with Charles.

The duo was passing out drinks and sandwiches. Charles was definitely more subdued, but he and Jane  
were still talking to each other pleasantly so Lizzy guessed Jane didn't give it to him too harshly. She  
wasn't all that surprised, however. But at least Jane _had_ talked to him.

All of a sudden, Lizzy put two and two together. Jane had said Caroline told her Charles wanted to distance  
himself from Jane when an old flame had come back to town. Lizzy knew that Will and Caroline had really  
just wanted to protect Charles from what they saw and someone just after his money, but Lizzy just remembered  
the name of the supposed 'old flame'. It was Georgina Darcy, Will's sister. The _sixteen-year-old._

Lizzy quickly looked at Jane to see if she had already realized this, but she didn't seem to. Had she even been  
introduced to Georgiana yet? Would she remember her name if she had? And what about Caroline? Did she  
realize her mistake? Charles obviously hadn't had a relationship with a sixteen year old, but it wasn't really  
up to Lizzy to open _that_ particular can of worms in front of everybody. She resolved to wait until Jane and  
she were alone to talk to her about it.

After lunch everyone sat around to talk and let their food digest. When enough time had passed, Lizzy  
encouraged everyone to join her in the water. Will again said he had too much work to catch up on, and  
Caroline reminded her that she just didn't swim. Georgiana, Charles and Jane, however, took her up on her  
offer and the group headed off to the water.

The other three were content to relax in the cool water after sitting in the hot sun for so long, but Lizzy was  
in a playful mood and soon got them into an impromptu game of water tag. Charles was often it and he often  
went after Jane first. Lizzy was the best swimmer of the group, but Jane had also grown up going to the beach  
regularly and could get away pretty easily, when she chose to.

Charles complained good-naturedly that he was outdone and Jane declared she was getting too tired anyway  
and that they should bring the party back up to the beach. All around agreed and they returned to Will and  
Caroline, the latter who'd given up in pulling Will into a conversation and who just decided to work on her tan.

The girls immediately joined her in laying out. Charles, who wasn't very good at sitting still for long, soon got  
Will to abandon the work he'd brought with him and the pair started a makeshift game of football. One would  
pass it to the other and then try to block him from making it past a certain point.

"Hey." Lizzy complained when a particularly enthusiastic tackle kicked up some sand on her.

"Sorry, Lizzy." Charles grinned from underneath Will.

"Can't you boys do something quietly?" Lizzy asked, but smiled to show she wasn't really annoyed.

"What, like lay out?" Will asked teasingly, letting Charles up.

"What's wrong with laying out?" Lizzy asked in reply, raising her eyebrow in a challenge.

"Oh, nothing." Will replied pleasantly but shot a grin to Charles and Lizzy waited, knowing there was more.  
"It's just a little, you know… _girly_."

"Uh oh." Jane said ominously without opening her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips.

Lizzy made a sound of offense and sat up saying, "And I suppose you think only _guys_ can play football?"

"Well, yeah." Charles and Will nodded, mock serious.

Lizzy harrumphed before pulling Jane up with her. "Okay Bingley, you asked for it."

The boys looked surprised, but willing to let the girls into their game. They even gave them the ball first, a move  
that Lizzy promised they would regret.

"Why did I get dragged into this?" Jane asked as the groups spilt to their own 'goal posts', which were just a  
few pieces of driftwood.

"Because all you have to do is smile at Charles and he's out of the game." Lizzy replied cheekily.

"Lizzy." Jane said warningly, but was smiling. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, I'm guessing, unless you told Charles, that they have no idea that you can actually throw a football, so  
we should get the first point easily by surprise alone. After that we'll just do the best we can." Lizzy instructed,  
grinning.

"Okay, let's do it." Jane replied, getting into the game.

"You girls ready?" Will asked when they broke apart.

"Ready." Lizzy answered for them, a confidant smile on her face. Will had some idea that Lizzy was good at sports,  
their basketball game a prime example, but didn't even consider Jane could be. This was his and Charles' first mistake.

Lizzy hiked the ball to Jane and ran for the boys end of their 'football field.' Right off the bat the boys  
hesitated. They had figured on Lizzy taking the ball right away, maybe passing it to Jane if she got the  
chance, but assumed she'd be the one they focused on. Charles eventually ran towards Jane though and  
Will tried to stay with Lizzy incase Jane actually managed to make it to her.

When Charles was almost to her, Jane let the ball fly. Both boys, as the girls rightly guessed, stopped and  
stared at how far Jane had thrown it, giving Lizzy time to catch it and jog the remaining distance to make  
a touchdown for them.

"So let's see." Lizzy said, grinning at Will and Charles' faces. "That makes it one-nothing, huh?"

Charles and Will exchanged a look, and then smiled a both girls. "Oh, it's on."

They had a small crowd cheering them on by the end of their game. They'd agreed before the game  
started that they would play to ten points and the score was now 9-8 with the girls trailing by one point.

Not wanting to exclude Georgiana, Lizzy suggested she switch with Jane or her- whoever was more tired  
at the time- throughout the game. Georgiana was hesitant but with coaxing from Will, agreed. She had  
just taken Jane's spot and she and Lizzy finally made the point that brought them only one point behind  
the boys.

It had taken a while and Georgiana said she was too tried to try for another, so Jane returned to the game.

"So what's the plan?" Jane asked.

"I don't know. Short of you flashing Charles, I think they've caught on to all our tricks." Lizzy joked.

"Don't even think about it. If you want to win that badly, you can flash Will – that should keep him still  
for a minute." Jane informed her.

One of their main problems was Will's speed. Lizzy was small and quick, but whether from his longer legs  
or just the fact that he was faster than she, Lizzy had trouble keeping up with him.

"Hey, that's it." Lizzy said, excitedly.

"I was just kidding Lizzy." Jane replied, worried.

"No, I'm not going to flash him." Lizzy laughed, and then told Jane her idea.

"Will it work?" Jane wondered.

"One way to find out." Lizzy said, then returned to the game.

Once again Lizzy hiked the ball to Jane then took off. Will was at her almost immediately, but instead of  
dodging him, Lizzy ran straight for him. Will was confused at her actions, and then even more surprised  
when Jane through the ball right into his hands. Without hesitation, Lizzy tackled him, stole the ball, and  
took off for the goal post before he realized what happened.

Throughout the game they had mostly been playing touch football, but they never really agreed on a no  
tackling rule and once, earlier in the game, Charles had scooped Jane up, causing her to drop the ball and  
allowing Will to make the point that had got them in the lead.

Lizzy made the touchdown easily and half the crowd, mostly the female portion, cheered. She turned around to  
see Will still on the ground and almost panicked, thinking she had hurt him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, wary it was a trick but still worried.

"I think you knocked the wind out of me." Will said in a painful voice.

"You wouldn't be able to talk if I had." Lizzy said, but felt awful as she leaned down to check up on him.

"Oh yeah, I guess I wouldn't." He said, then quickly grabbed her arm and pulled so she fell half on top of him.

"Will!" she squealed. "You little faker."

"Serves you right with that stunt." He laughed, standing and offering her a hand up.

Lizzy stuck her tongue out and refused his help so Will leaned down and picked her up and carried her over  
to where Jane and Charles were laughing at them.

"Put me down you big oaf." Lizzy demanded, half laughing.

"What do you say to calling it a tie and going to get some dinner?" Will suggested.

"Afraid you're about to lose?" Lizzy asked, with a confident smile.

"Most definitely." Charles agreed with a laugh.

"That sounds good to me." Jane approved.

"Yeah, me too." Lizzy seconded.

There was some good natured grumbling from the crowd when they heard the friends decided on a tie, but  
most told them it had been a good game and wondered back to their previous activities.

"Oh man. I am going to be _so_ sore tomorrow." Lizzy groaned, but had a smile on her face.

Charles and Jane murmured their agreements, but Will said, "_You're_ going to be sore? How do you think  
I'm going to feel after that flying tackle?" and rubbed his chest with a fake pout, but his eyes were dancing  
impishly.

"Still think only _guys_ can play football?" Lizzy asked, grinning self-assuredly. Will groaned.

"The words will never again leave my mouth." He promised.

"Then I think it was well worth it." She replied.

Will opened his mouth to reply, but Caroline cut him off.

"Don't you think it's time we get going?" she asked, clearly unhappy about the situation.

"Er, I guess it is getting late." Charles said reluctantly.

"Why don't you girls join us for dinner?" Will suggested, surprising Lizzy.

It was true that she, again, had a blast with Will but she was under the impression that however wrong  
he'd been about Jane's feelings for Charles, he still didn't seem to happy when they'd met up yesterday.

Jane and Lizzy exchanged a look, silently asking each other how they felt about this arrangement. Lizzy  
raised her eyes to Jane who gave the slightest shrug in reply.

"That sounds like fun." Lizzy finally answered, smiling at Will's pleased look.

"How about we give you girls a ride home this time?" Charles offered.

Jane didn't even have to collaborate with Lizzy on this one, she immediately accepted.

After packing all their stuff up, the group made their way to where Will had parked. Luckily he's brought  
the SUV, so there was plenty of room for the six of them and their stuff.

Charles offered to drive and held the passenger door open for Jane, so Lizzy lost her seat partner. Will  
let Georgiana, Caroline and Lizzy precede him, the former of whom took different seats, forcing Lizzy to  
chose between sitting next to Caroline or sitting in the back, with Georgiana. Without hesitation, Lizzy  
went to sit in the back leaving Will no choice but to sit with Caroline, an arrangement Lizzy had no doubt  
she planned.

She wasn't upset though; she and Georgiana had never really got to resume their conversation, so they  
continued about books and onto the few movies they'd seen recently.

Charles reached their hotel in almost no time.

The boys got out to help them with their stuff even though it was only two bags.

"Thanks." Lizzy said, taking hers from Will. "So when and where do you guys want to meet?"

"I was thinking Cardello's- say around seven?" Will suggested, including Charles and Jane in their  
conversation.

It was just five now, so that gave them all plenty of time to go home, get showered and changed, relax  
awhile and meet at the restaurant.

"Sounds good." Lizzy nodded.

"Should we pick you up?" Charles asked.

"Um…" Lizzy hesitated, looking at Jane. They definitely didn't want to _skate_ to dinner, but they had  
called a cab before and could do it again.

"That would be nice." Jane answered for them. Lizzy silently agreed.

"Okay. See you soon." Will smiled at Lizzy, Charles said goodbye to Jane, and the boys went back  
into the car and took off.

**Well there you go! A super long chapter. I tried to read through it all as many times as I could to catch mistakes (those tricksy little things) but I'm just so excited to be posting this and to see how you all like it that I hope you forgive anything I might have missed.**

**BTW- The little ruler thing isn't working, so I can't seperate my Authers notes from therest of the story. The only thing I could do was put this in bold and centered, to make it look different. **

**Did you not get enough of Caroline attitude? Don't worry, she's coming to dinner ;)**

**Let me know what you think, huh:)**

**Oh! One more thing- that Dave Matthews Band stuff - My brother and sisters bought me and my other sister tickets to his concert on the 11th for our birthdays (hers is the 13th and mine is the 19th) and i had a BLAST! it was so awesome I had to put a little piece of him in my story. So there you go. Plus DMB was already Lizzy's favorite band, so I just brought him in early than I planned. But I've said to much already... ;)**

* * *


	10. Dinner and a Drama

**_Sfa1982_- Yes, one of the main reasons Lizzy hasn't been recognized is because no one really expects her to be out skating around, but I'll get more into that in this chapter- thanks for you question:) **

**_Forgotten-kiss_, I don't think Lizzy knows if she wants to forgive Darcy yet but yes, there is more of that in chapters to come (including this one) ;) And Wickham- unfortunately I don't think we've seen the last of him yet, either. **

**_check6_- :grin: Yes- Yes I DO think Charles needs to work harder (if even just a little bit. ) than he did in the original story if he wants Jane back…**

**_Dolphin Dreamer_, Yes, I was hoping the football thing wouldn't be confusing. I was considering specifying it as American football but I figured you'd get the idea when I explained what was going on. :) **

_**Terbear, Hawkeye Chuui, Farola, Mara look-a-like, riotgirllina, Rxc, MorganisM-Lve, Peran, Randomisation, Gentileschi, Jenna, lina, GerryPhan, Shadowsndust, Ariadne Oliver, Iago96, and Iago96, **_

**Thanks so much you guys! I'm so happy for all the great feedback I got for this chapter. It's really helped a lot. Specifically since a lot of you are wondering what Jane and Charles said to each other, I added it in this chapter. To tell the truth I was just going to leave it, but I'm glad I wrote it, it gave me a better handle on the story, I think. **

**And I think more of you're questions will be answer in this chapter so I hope you enjoy…**

**PS- The linebreak thingy still isnt working, so I had to get creative ;)**

**Chapter Ten  
**_Dinner and a Drama_

Jane and Elizabeth walked through the hotel in silence. Though neither knew it, both were  
thinking of the day's events- specifically those involving Charles and Will, respectively.

Lizzy wondered at her and Will's vacillating relationship. On the one hand, she always had  
a great time with him. He was the first guy in a long time that she had any real interest in.  
On the other, his cavalier decision caused Jane, the dearest and sweetest person Lizzy  
knew, unnecessary pain.

Though, Lizzy grudgingly admitted, it wasn't like he was thinking about hurting Jane. He  
was only thinking of protecting his friend. Of course, if he had at least taken the time to get  
to _know_ Jane, maybe none of this would have happened.

Unconsciously, Lizzy shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was a never-ending circle. It  
seems whatever redeeming qualities Will had were undone by his bad ones. To think of  
something else, she glanced at Jane.

Lizzy wondered what she had said to Charles, and where they now stood with each other.  
Jane was a private person though, even with her sister, and Lizzy didn't want to force her  
to share something she didn't want to. So she opted for a question that Jane could give a  
one-word answer to, if she liked.

"How did your talk with Charles go?" she asked as they reached their room.

"I wondered how long you'd be able to wait until you asked me that." Jane smiled, letting  
her know it was okay. "It went…. As well as can be expected, I think."

The sisters busied themselves with unloading their beach things and arguing good-naturedly  
about who got the shower first. In the end Lizzy won, since she would be quicker.

While Lizzy hurried into the bathroom, Jane sank gratefully into a chair. It was no joke, their  
little workout today at the beach. She was just glad Lizzy hadn't dismissed Charles' offer for  
a ride again. She did not look forward to skating home, however short the trip.

Thinking about the beach brought her to thought of Charles, which reminded her of the  
question Lizzy just asked. How _did_ the 'talk with Charles' go?

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

They were silent for a few minutes. It was the first time Jane and Charles been alone together  
since their break-up and both became acutely aware of this fact as soon as they left the group.

"So… How've you been?" Charles asked, breaking the silence. Jane could tell from the gravity  
in his voice that it wasn't a general question.

"Okay. Lizzy's helped a lot." Jane answered truthful, ignoring the wince from Charles.

They fell silent again and Jane almost regretted her frankness. She didn't want it to be awkward  
between them. He'd been a great help after… Wickham, and she didn't regret what they'd had  
together. She just wished it hadn't had to end, especially so abruptly. It literally fell apart in a  
day- the day after they'd had their first date.

Jane found herself, naturally, replaying that day over and over in her head. Had she done  
something to upset him? He'd seemed fine when they parted, more than fine- he seemed happy.  
So what had changed so drastically that he made the decision to break-up with her?

Was it really, as Caroline had implied, that an old flame had come back to town? Jane didn't  
want to think so, Charles certainly didn't seem the type, but maybe she didn't know him as  
well as she believed.

"I never meant to hurt you, Jane." Charles stopped walking and turned to face her.

Jane looked in his face and saw that he meant it- he felt awful. Her natural instinct was to put  
him at ease- tell him it was fine, she understood and don't worry about it; but a voice inside  
her, one that sounded suspiciously like Lizzy, argued that it _wasn't_ fine, she _didn't_ understand  
and he damn well _better_ worry about it. Jane picked a middle ground between the two.

"Well, you did." She said simply and continued walking.

Charles was so stunned that he it took him a minute to catch up. He caught her arm before she  
walked into the small café. "Jane…" he started, but faltered.

Jane didn't help him, just stood and waited.

"I'm sorry." He said simply and again Jane could tell he meant it.

The two voices warred again. The Jane voice thought 'it's okay', but new voice, the Lizzy  
voice thought 'You should be.' Again Jane found a balance.

"I know." She replied truthfully. She could tell he was truly sorry. But Jane wanted to know if  
he was sorry for breaking up with her, or sorry that, in breaking up with her, he'd hurt her.

She could tell this was not going at all how Charles had planned, and although he wanted to  
say more, he either didn't know what to say or just couldn't find the words. He released her  
arm and she preceded him into the café.

They fell back into silence once in the café, only talking when they had to order the food. After  
the got everything, the pair once again found themselves alone, or as alone as they could be  
on a crowded sidewalk.

"Jane…" Charles tried again. Jane turned her head to let him know she was listening. "I… I  
know it's gotten… complicated between us, but…"

"Charles." Jane sighed and stopped so she could fully face him. "Just tell me what happened."

"What happened?" Charles questioned, looking slightly nervous.

"Yes. What happened to make you up and leave with barely a word to me." Jane clarified.

"I… I was having a lot of pressure from work. They felt I was taking too much time off." Charles  
explained.

"Why couldn't you just tell me that?" Jane asked gently.

"Because…that… wasn't the only reason." Charles sighed in frustration. "Okay, I know this is  
probably going to sound crazy, but I thought that you didn't… like me as much as I liked you."

"That _does_ sound crazy." Jane said after a few minutes of silence. "And even if that were true,  
you should have said something."

"I know. I know there's no excuse for what I did, and nothing I can say that will make it right,  
but... but I _am_ sorry." He said, reaching up to cup her cheek. "More sorry than I can say."

"Charles." Jane sighed and reached up to hold his hand to her.

"And I know that I don't even deserve to be speaking with you right now, but… maybe we  
can start over… start as friends?" he asked, sounding almost desperate.

Jane didn't answer, but she held his hand and started to pull him along with her. "Come on.  
I promised Lizzy we'd be back soon."

Charles was disappointed by her non-answer, but his spirits lifted when she held onto his  
hand as they walked back to the beach.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jane still didn't know what she wanted to do about Charles. His apology was sincere, she could  
tell, but how was she going to know that he wouldn't just do something like that again?

The best thing to do, seeing as how Charles planned on spending time with her as much as he  
could before they went their separate ways, was to take it one day at time. See how things went.  
She wouldn't jump right back into their old relationship, but she didn't want to cut him off completely.

"Showers yours sis." Lizzy's cheerful voice pulled Jane out of her thoughts and she looked up,  
smiling.

"Let me at it." She replied with a laugh, grabbing a towel and heading for it.

"Hey, what do you think? This is semi-casual, right?" Lizzy asked, going through the small  
closet.

"I think so. What did you have in mind?" Jane asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Short skirt and a long sleeve top?" Lizzy questioned, holding the items up to her. Jane raised  
her eyebrows in surprise.

"A skirt? You?" she questioned teasingly.

"Ha, ha. Yes, a skirt, me. What do you think?" Lizzy wanted to know.

"I think black would go better with your coloring. I have an outfit on my side of the closet  
you're welcome to." Jane replied. Lizzy immediately searched it out.

"Maybe you're right. Thanks, Jane." She said, holding the outfit up to her and looking in  
the floor mirror.

"Welcome." Jane replied before finally going into the shower.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

The girls were ready early and they chatted about nothing in particular until there was a knock  
on the door.

Both sisters rose to answer it, grabbing their purses on the way.

"Ready?" Lizzy whispered with mock trepidation.

Jane just elbowed her with a small smile on her face before swinging the door open.

Will and Charles were on the other side, both dressed in dark slacks and dress shirts- Wills  
black and Charles a light blue.

"Hey, we match." Will said with a small.

"Yeah, look at that." Lizzy couldn't help but smile back.

"You look great Jane- you both do." Charles said, but his eyes never left Jane.

"Thank you." The sisters replied simultaneously.

"Are you girls ready to go?" Will asked.

"Yes, I think so. Jane?" Lizzy looked to her sister.

"Ready." Jane nodded, stepping out.

"Oh- it looks like rain. You may want to bring a jacket." Will warned.

"I'll get them." Lizzy offered, stepping back into the room and pulling two jackets that matched  
each of their outfits. While she was thinking of it, she turned on the bathroom light so they  
didn't walk back into a dark room, then rejoined Jane, Will and Charles at the door.

"Okay, I think we're all set now. Here, Jane." Lizzy began to hand her the jacket she brought,  
but Charles took it from me.

"Allow me." He said with a smile, then helped her into it.

"May I?" Will asked holding his hand out for Lizzy's as well. Lizzy hesitated, but handed it over.

"Sure, knock yourself out." She said with a smile.

Once they had their coats on, the foursome made their way out to the parked car. When Charles  
held the passenger door of a four-door sedan open for Jane, a warning bell went off in Lizzy head.

"Where's Georgiana? And Caroline?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh. Hope you don't mind, but Caroline already had a dinner date, and Georgiana said she was  
too tired from the traveling and the beach today to go out so… it's just going to be us four."  
Will explaining cheerfully as he held the back door open for Lizzy.

"Oh." Lizzy said, slipping into the back seat. "Hear that Jane? It's just going to be us four." She  
asked when Will and Charles had closed the doors and walked around to get in themselves.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Lizzy." Jane said placidly.

"Easy for you to say." She mumbled just before Will opened the door and slipped in beside her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

But it was fine, Lizzy had to admit. Despite the fact that it felt a lot like a date, Jane and Lizzy  
had relaxed and dinner with just Will and Charles was turning out to be more than fine- it was  
fun. The four friends laughed and joked throughout the night and, everything was going  
great until an unexpected visitor broke into their happy group.

"Excuse me." All eyes turned to see a man who'd approached their table but his eyes were  
only for Lizzy. "It _is_ you, isn't it?"

Lizzy felt panic rise through her, but she immediately pushed it down and put on a puzzled  
face. "Excuse me?"

The man just laughed. Lizzy realized he was slightly drunk, but that didn't hide the glee in  
his eyes. "By god but you look different."

"I'm sorry, I think you've got the wrong person." Lizzy said, managing to sound almost friendly.

"I thought so too, at first. Actually, I didn't even recognize _you_. I recognized _her_." The man  
pointed at Jane and now Lizzy was really worried. "Of course, I still don't recognize either of  
you." He gestured to the boys.

"Look- your obviously mistaken-" Lizzy tried again, this time with more annoyance in her  
voice but the man wasn't to be put off.

"No, it's you alright. The great Liz herself. You know, you've been hard to find, lately." He  
said, and then pulled a camera out of nowhere. "You don't mind if I get a quick picture, do you?"

Lizzy stood in a flash, pushing the camera away before he had a chance to try. "Actually, I  
do." She said through clenched teeth. The man just grinned, as if he hoped for this reaction.

"Then how about an interview instead. You know," storing the camera, he pulled a pencil  
and pad out of his pocket. "A lot of people are wondering what you've been up to."

"Get lost." Lizzy dropped all pretenses and glared him.

"I see your anger management classes have paid off." He laughed, writing something down.

Lizzy clenched her teeth and was about to give a non-verbal reply to how well her anger  
management classes were going, most likely to his face, but Jane also stood, catching her  
attention. "Lizzy, don't." she warned.

Against her instincts, Lizzy unclenched her fist and took a step back. "Get. Lost." She repeated,  
but his attention was now focused on Jane.

"Ah, Jane Bennet. How are you holding up these days? Holding any grudge against you  
sister? Have you talked to George Wic-" He fired the questions off fast, but Lizzy moved  
until she stood between them.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to my sister." Lizzy said vehemently.

"Still defending your dear older sister, are you?" he asked amused as he wrote something  
down again.

"Maybe you'd better leave." A hard voice said, grabbing onto the man's shoulder and pulling  
him away from Lizzy. She was surprised to see it was Will- she'd never heard him sound so…  
intimidating.

The man didn't seem to mind the hand clutching his shoulder. "And who are you? A love  
interest perhaps?" he asked, still writing.

Unexpectedly, Will pulled the pad and pencil out of his hand and looked at him forebodingly.  
"I _said_, maybe you'd better leave." He repeated coldly.

For the first time, then man seemed to think twice about speaking. He looked at Will, trying  
to decide if it was worth the consequences.

"Is there a problem?" a man in a suit had walked up. Lizzy assumed someone had informed  
the manager about their little performance.

"This _person_," Will said the word as if it was the last thing he would call the man. "Is  
bothering my guests and I. See that he is removed at once."

The manager took one look at Will's haughty manner and began escorting the unknown  
man out of the restaurant.

"You'll regret this, Liz." The man said angrily before they made it two steps away.

Lizzy opened her mouth to reply, but Will beat her to it. "Are you threatening her?" he asked  
heatedly. He took at step forward and grabbed the man again.

"Sir, shall I call the police?" The manager asked Will.

"No." All eyes turned to Lizzy. "It's okay. Just get him out of here." She replied to the  
manager, but she was looking at Will.

Will nodded slightly and let him go. The manager wasted no time in escorting the man out  
before anything more could be said.

Lizzy turned to see how Jane was only to find Charles already conversing with her in low  
tones. She seemed fine, and Lizzy let out a breath of air.

"Are you alright?" Will's soft voice in her ear made her jump and he put a comforting hand  
on her shoulder. "Sorry."

"I'm fine. Thanks for…" she glanced at the retreating men, but Will shrugged it off.

"Who was that?" he asked, his intense gaze locking her eyes with his.

"I didn't catch his name." Lizzy replied, dodging the question and looking back at Jane.  
"Maybe we should go."

Jane heard her and broke away from Charles. "That's probably a good idea."

"I'll get the car." Charles offered, grabbing his overcoat from the back of his chair.

"No." Lizzy said unexpectedly. Jane gave her a look, but she ignored it. "No, finish dinner.  
We can find our own way home."

"Lizzy…" Jane started.

"I _really_ think it's for the best." Lizzy said significantly, looking at Jane.

Charles and Will looked from one sister to another, trying to catch the meaning behind her  
words.

"We don't know how many more there are." Lizzy said pointedly, eyes still on her sister.

"Exactly why we're not letting you two go off alone." Will interrupted, and then grabbed a  
passing waiter. "Check, please, and make it quick."

"Will, really, we'll just call a cab. There's no reason for you guys to cut dinner short just  
for us." Lizzy said, exasperated.

"You may want to pretend some drunk guy didn't just come up and _threaten_ you and  
Jane, but I won't. I'm not asking for a reason or an explanation; I am just asking for you  
to let Charles and I take you home. Okay?" Will asked, squaring his shoulders.

Lizzy could tell he was going to put up a fight until she gave in, but her ire rose at his  
imposing manner.

"Look Will… thank you for your help and thank you for dinner but I can take care of  
myself." She told him matter-of-factly.

The waiter came with the bill, Will threw a card into it and handed it back without even  
looking at it.

"Oh really? And what about Jane, can you take care of her too?" Will, frustrated with  
her obstinacy, had just said the first thing he could think of but he saw instantly that  
he'd hit a nerve.

"Fitz…" Charles, who knew more of the girl's history, tried to warn him off the topic.

"How _dare_ you throw that in my face." Lizzy said, deathly quiet.

"Lizzy this is ridiculous." Jane said catching her attention. "Will doesn't even know  
about... anything."

"The hell he doesn't." Lizzy snapped back, glaring at Will who was looking from Lizzy  
to Jane to Charles trying to figure out what was going on.

"I don't know anything about _what_?" He asked, sighing in frustration as the waiter  
interrupted again with the check. Will signed it and hand it back.

"I've told the valet to pull around your car, sir." The waiter said nervously, and then  
took off.

"There. The car is here, why don't we all just calm down and go home." Charles suggested,  
trying to placate Will and Lizzy.

"Jane, let Charles take you home, okay?" Lizzy said, then walked out without waiting  
for an answer.

"Why is she being so _stubborn_ about this?" Will asked no one in particular.

"It's just how she is. You won't be able to change her mind once it's made up." Jane  
sighed, sounding tired.

Will didn't answer for a minute as he stared at the closing restaurant doors. Then,  
tossing Charles the keys, he took off after her. "Watch me."

"Will!" Charles exclaimed, bewildered.

"Go on ahead, I'll make sure she gets home okay." He answered, storming out.

As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted her making her way up the road, looking  
like she planned on walking the whole way home.

"Elizabeth!" He called, the jogged to catch up to her.

"God you just don't give up, do you?" she asked, sounding pissed.

"What is the matter with you? You're going to walk home this late at night through  
neighborhoods you don't know for what? Just to prove you can?" Will asked, incredulous.

"Whatever my reasons, they are _none_ of your business." She told him.

"The hell they aren't! We were having a perfectly normal evening until that guy comes  
in, who somehow obviously knows you and then you bite my head off and go running  
off into the night." Will, who just noticed he'd raised his voice, made an effect to speak  
more calmly. "Elizabeth, what happened?"

Lizzy was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "What happened was that guy just  
ruined my vacation. Now I have to go back to the hotel, pack and get out of here before  
all hell breaks loose."

"What? I don't understand." Will said, shaking his head.

"Okay, you know what? The innocent act is getting a little old." Lizzy said, irritated.

"_What_ innocent act? I honestly _don't know_." Will said sincerely.

"Right. So it's just a big coincidence that you made a reference to me not being able to  
protect Jane." Lizzy said. She tried to sound angry, but Will could hear the hurt in her  
voice.

"Look, I don't know what made me say that. I could tell I hurt you and I'm sorry for  
that, but I really have no idea why it _did_ hurt you." Will said softly to her. Lizzy sighed  
and turned away from him.

Will frowned and put a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "Do you really think I would  
intentionally say something that I thought would upset you as much as that did?" he  
whispered to her.

"I don't know. We only met a few weeks ago, Will. I don't even know you, not really."  
She said, still refusing to face him.

"Look at me, Elizabeth." He turned her towards him, then raised her chin so she met  
his eyes. "Do you really think I would hurt you?" he asked tenderly.

She looked into his eyes and sighed. Leaning into the hand cupping her cheek and  
closing her eyes, she whispered "No."

**Unfortunately no Caroline or Georgiana in this Chapt, but they'll be back, don't worry ;)  
I'm still popping them out longer than usual though, huh? What do you think?**


	11. Hide and seek comes to an end

**_Dolphin Dreamer_ -** Thanks! (I love that you point out all the lines you like ;) - and thanks for pointing out that typo- totally missed it.) I know I didn't update as fast I should have but better late than never huh? And I'm keeping them longer than usually do - 11 (microsoft Word) pages instead of 6 :)

**_Hawkeye Chuui_ -** I know- but I can't help it- I love the cliffhanger effect:)

**_Mara look-a-like_ -** Thanks for your enthusiasm! And here you go :)

**_Riotgirllina_ -** Thanks, and don't worry, she'll tell Will (and you) everything soon... very _very_ soon. Like next chapter soon (how's that for a hint?) ;)

**_MorganisM-Lve_ -** Thank you! Ask and you shall receive ;)

**_Rxc_-** Thanks. Might not have updated too soon, but it didn't take as long as some chapters do. :)

**_Gentileschi_ -** Well, unfortunately Caroline and Georgiana don't make it into this chap either - but they will definitely been in the next one.

**_Jessy_ -** Thanks so much!

_**Liana**_ **-** Yay you're back! I was wondering what happened to you, I was afraid you'd lost interest in the story. ;) I would answer all your questions, but the story already does, so I won't spoil anything. ;) Thanks for your review!

**_Forgotten-kiss_- **I know, I'm evil. (Well, not me... my cliffhangers :) ) Don't worry, the whole story is coming up. Woo hoo! I'm glad you like Dave Matthews Band - they're totally my favorite (grey street is my fav song) Thanks for you're review!

**Purplehairedpunk -** Thanks! So glad you liked it!

**_Shadowsndust_ -** Totally- stubborn Lizzy is awesome. And don't worry - everything will be explain soon. ;)

**_Randomisation_-** Thanks! Glad you like it (I'll update sooner next time)

**_Wizard's Angel -_** Thanks for your review! I know I make typos and stuff a lot, but I go back and change the story so much that when I reread it to find mistakes my eyes just start skimming over the words. I read how it _should_ sound and not what it actually _is_ (if that makes sense.) I also know I should get a beta but, like I said, I change the story so much that I'd never update if I had one. Thanks for the advice, though:)

I know it took along time to update, but this chapter took a long time to write. (Plus I wrote half of Chapter twelve, so that should be up soon.) I don't know what I think about this chapter, it feels a little sluggish, so any feedback (or reassurance, if you like it) you can give will be greatly appreciated. ;)

That being said, I hope you enjoy...

**Chapter Eleven  
**_Hide and seek comes to an end_

Both Will and Elizabeth had their cell phones on them, but they seemed to silently agree to  
walk home together. Neither said anything for a long time; just held hands and walked so  
closely that they often bumped into each other.

This went on for several blocks and might have continued until they reached the hotel, when  
suddenly the rain that had been threatening to fall all night finally did. In a burst of lightning,  
quickly followed by a loud clap of thunder, the clouds seemed to be startled into opening.

The couple was soaked in an instant and both remembered simultaneously that Lizzy had left  
so quickly she'd forgotten her jacket. Will removed his without hesitation and put it on her  
before she could voice the protest he saw in her face.

"You'll be soaked." She managed to say as he resolutely fastened the buttons.

"What kind of gentlemen would I be if I didn't offer my coat to a lady?" Will quipped.

"Do I look like a lady to you?" she asked, laughing.

"Yes, you do." Will replied, suddenly serious.

Lizzy looked away from the emotion in his eyes, but she was pleased. She took his hand again  
and the couple continued silently on their way.

Will was dying to know the secrets behind tonight's events, but he could also tell Lizzy was in  
no mood to talk about them. He knew he could ask Charles, who obviously knew more than he  
did, but he resolved himself to be patient and trust that she would tell him when she was ready.

Lizzy was turned around. She was so sure that Will knew exactly who she was, had known for  
a long time. How could he not? It would have been the easiest thing in the world for him to  
find out when she was staying at Pemberley. She didn't know, were their situations reversed,  
if she would be able to help herself.

But it seemed he had. Which meant that she was going to have to tell him, sooner or later; and  
with that little reporter sniffing around she had no doubt that word would get out very soon  
about where she was hiding out.

She hadn't been being dramatic when she said her vacation was over and that she and Jane  
should leave tonight. She wouldn't be surprised if a horde of them showed up bright and  
early tomorrow morning.

But she didn't want to just up and leave when her relationship with Will seemed to be  
deepening. Besides, if she left before being able to explain everything to him he'd no doubt  
hear all the wild stories the press had been throwing around. Actually, Lizzy realized, there was  
a good chance he already had heard at least something. He just must not have connected the  
dots yet- that it was _her_ they were talking about.

"Hey." Will pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him and saw he wore a worried  
expression. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." She smiled, still clutching his hand as they walked.

"Where were you just then?" he wondered.

"No where special." She stopped and faced him again. "I think I like it here much better."

Will smiled at her words and reached up to brush her soaked hair out of her face. "I'm glad."

"Will…" she hesitated and Will dropped his hand, hoping he hadn't made her uncomfortable.  
"I know that I've been really secretive about myself…"

But Lizzy didn't get any further. A car horn beeped nearby, and the pair turned to see it slow and  
stop next to them.

"Fitz! Lizzy! Hope in!" Charles called over the rain.

Will sent Charles a death glare; sure that Lizzy was just about to explain what had happened at  
the restaurant. Sighing in defeat, he led Lizzy over to the car and opened the door for her before  
jogging around and getting in himself.

"We've been so worried." Jane said from the passenger seat.

"Worried? About us?" Lizzy questioned and Will heard the teasing in her voice.

"Yes Lizzy." Jane sighed. "I know you forget who the older sister is sometimes, but every so often  
_I_ feel the need to protect _you_."

Lizzy looked sheepish and Jane smiled. "I'm just glad you guys are okay. Especially you, Will." Jane  
said and Will and Charles looked at her in surprise.

"Me?" he questioned. He looked over to Lizzy, but she could tell where her sister was going with  
this and just rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Yes. No one who's gone after Lizzy when she's in a mood has ever made it back unscathed." Jane  
informed them.

"Ha, Ha." Lizzy said sarcastically, but she was smiling.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Lizzy invited Will in to dry off before heading back to Pemberley, but Charles pointed out that he'd  
have nothing to change into while he dried off, so the girls once again said goodbye to the boys.

"Maybe we can all get together tomorrow and do something." Charles suggested before Lizzy and  
Jane had left the car. Will looked to Lizzy, who looked up at the passenger seat to Jane, leaving the  
decision up to her.

"That sounds like fun." Jane said after a pause.

"Hey- there's this day cruise that sails from Pemberley. It's a lot of fun." Charles said, looking  
excited.

"Elizabeth's already been." Will told him.

"Oh..." Charles said, disappointed. Elizabeth elbowed Will, who looked slightly guilty.

"It was fun though. I wouldn't mind going again." She said. "What do you think Jane?"

Jane agreed and they set up a time for the boys to come pick them up. With one last goodbye, Jane  
and Elizabeth left the car and bolted for the front door to the hotel to avoid the rain. Both turned  
and waved just before going inside and the boys, seeing they'd gotten inside okay, started the car  
and made their way back to Pemberley.

Jane and Elizabeth, the latter shivering in the cold air-conditioned hallways of the hotel, made their  
way silently up to their room. It was later than Lizzy realized. The main lobby was almost deserted  
and after passing a maid coming off the elevator as they were going on, the sisters didn't see anyone  
else on their way to their room.

"Lizzy." Jane broke the silence as the elevator crawled up to their floor. "What happened between  
you and Will?"

Lizzy was surprised by the question. "Nothing. He came and found me and-" but she stopped  
when Jane shook her head.

"No, I mean before. While you were at Pemberley." She said, watching Lizzy's reaction carefully.

Now Lizzy wasn't surprised, she was shocked. It wasn't that hard to make the connection, but she  
was convinced Jane had forgotten the name of the man she'd had a date with at Pemberley. Either  
that or she just ignored the fact that Will and Lizzy had been at odds when Jane had first met him.

"I had suspicions on who he was before, but I was just sure he must be the same Will you had a date  
with when he mentioned you'd already been on the cruise." Jane explained.

"It's... a long story." Lizzy sighed and knew if she didn't elaborate that Jane wouldn't push her to  
explain.

They reached their floor and the sisters fell back into silence as they walked to their room. After  
entering, Lizzy realized she still had Wills coat on. With a smile she hoped Jane didn't notice, she  
took it off and hung up on a chair to dry.

"Let me take a shower and I'll tell you the whole story." Lizzy said, turning back to Jane. She knew  
she'd eventually have to tell Jane what Will had done, she just wished she could put it off.

Jane nodded and took her own coat off and Lizzy headed to the bathroom to take a nice long hot  
shower.

When she returned, Jane was in her pajamas, sitting on her bed and reading a book. She put it  
down and turned to face Lizzy when she came out. Lizzy sat on her own bed, also facing her sister.  
She took a deep breath and began explaining everything that had happened between her and Will,  
and what she'd found out happened between Jane and Charles.

Jane listened, not interrupting unless she needed something explained and Lizzy soon got to the  
part where she'd figured out who Will was.

"I'd seen his name everywhere- I just didn't know it was him. He'd only called himself Will and  
never gave me a last name. But when I saw it on that plaque, everything fell into place….  
Georgiana's name was on there, too." Lizzy said, studying Jane's face for a reaction.

"I realized when we met her at the beach that I misunderstood what Caroline said about a fling  
between Charles and Georgiana." Jane said with a sigh.

"Misunderstood! Jane, Caroline was just trying to get you mad at Charles so you wouldn't try  
and call him." Lizzy said, incredulous that she could still try to think so well of others.

"I can't believe Charles would think that of me." Jane said in a small voice and Lizzy regretted  
her harsh words.

"Will put the thought in his head Jane, without even meeting you." Lizzy told her, angry with  
herself for giving him a second chance so quickly.

"How do you know it was Will alone?" Jane asked.

Lizzy went to her suitcase and dug under her clothes until she found what she was looking for.  
She walked back to Jane, and handed it to her.

"What's this?" Jane wanted to know, taking it from her curiously.

"After I confronted Will about everything, he wrote me this letter." Lizzy said simply, then  
waited for Jane to read it.

_Dear Elizabeth_,

_Although you made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing more to  
do with me, I feel I have to defend myself to the offense that has  
been laid at my charge. I only ask that you lend me a little more  
of your time so that I may explain my actions. _

_Charles has been a close friend of mine for many years now and,  
as I've said before, although he is very intelligent he is not all  
that good at telling a person's true nature. I have taken him  
under my wing, per se, and think of him now as I would a brother. _

_He told me a while ago that he had met a girl whom he really  
liked. This was not all that unusual- Charles is very agreeable  
and finds people he likes everywhere he goes. It wasn't until he  
postponed his trip back home to spend more time with her that  
I started to worry. _

_Charles is young, successful and wealthy. Unfortunately this  
means he is also the target of many fortune hunters. I'm sorry  
if it sounds like I'm, again, insinuating that this includes your  
sister. Although I did think this was the case at first, your  
speech earlier has persuaded me otherwise. However…_

_After talking with Charles' sister again I am still convinced  
that I did the right thing. Charles was ignoring his company  
in pursuit of your sister and she didn't seem inclined to give  
him the time of day. From Caroline I understand that her  
look and manners were open, cheerful and engaging but  
without and symptom of peculiar regard. _

_If you disagree, then Caroline and I have been mistaken.  
Your superior knowledge of your sister, of course, would  
make you the better judge. And if I _was_ mistaken then your  
anger and resentment are not unfounded._

_It is done, however, and it was done for the best. There's  
nothing more I can say, no other apology I can offer. If  
I've hurt your sister feelings it was unknowingly done._

_On another note, I will be leaving today for business.  
I don't want to cause you any more uneasiness, and I  
want you to be able to enjoy Pemberley without  
worrying about me showing up to bother you. _

_I don't know how long you've known I who I really  
was, but I guess it doesn't really matter now. I had a  
lot of fun with you Elizabeth, and I'm truly sorry for  
the trouble I've caused. _

_Fitzwilliam Darcy_

"He sounds very sorry." Jane noted when she was done.

Lizzy noticed with some amusement how extremely different they were. When Lizzy had  
first finished reading the letter, her thoughts where about how high mannered he'd  
sounded. When she actually notice he'd apologize, she scoffed at it.

"I guess." Lizzy said, in an offhanded manner.

"You must have believed him, or you wouldn't have forgiven him." Jane pointed out.

"I don't think I _have _forgiven him. Telling you everything that's happened and rereading  
the letter has reminded me how angry I was with him. I wanted to give you and Charles a  
chance to talk, though, so I just tried not to think about it when we met up again." Lizzy  
said truthfully.

"Lizzy, I can tell how much you like Will." Jane said, holding her hand up when Lizzy  
tried to reply. "I know you. I don't want you to just throw that away because of a mistake  
he made. He was just trying to look out for Charles, he didn't know…"

"He didn't know that you really _did _care for Charles, and that in telling him to leave you  
he would cause both you and Charles so much pain?" Lizzy finished darkly.

"Charles isn't blameless, Lizzy. He should have been more sure of me and not let his  
friends rule his decisions." Jane said. Since Lizzy had thought almost the exact same  
thing, she couldn't argue.

"So what are you going to do?" Lizzy asked Jane after a pause.

"I don't know." Jane sighed. "Charles said he left because he wasn't sure I liked him as  
much as he liked me, but he obviously didn't tell me he thought I was a fortune hunter."

"Well, maybe he didn't." Lizzy said thoughtfully.

"Lizzy, you just said-" Jane started, but Lizzy cut her off.

"No, I mean maybe Will tried to convince him you were, but he didn't believe it, so  
Will and Caroline told him you didn't like him as much as he did you." Lizzy explained.  
Jane thought about it.

"I guess that's possible." She sighed again. "We're just going to have to talk about  
everything."

"That's probably the best idea." Lizzy replied.

"And Lizzy- don't be too hard on Will, okay?" Jane said, but Lizzy frowned.

"Jane he-" Lizzy started to argue but this time Jane interrupted her.

"He said he was sorry. He said he'd been mistaken. And he cares about you." Jane  
said firmly.

Lizzy rolled her eyes, but said, "I suppose."

Without comment, both sisters moved to get under their covers. They laid, still facing  
each other across the gap between their beds.

"We'll just take it one day at a time." Jane said sleepily, reaching up to turn of the  
bedside lamp.

"I suppose." Lizzy repeated, sounding dubious.

They fell asleep quickly and easily, not knowing the insanity tomorrow would bring.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Lizzy was the first one up in the morning, and since they weren't due to meet the boys  
for a while, she let Jane sleep in. She got dressed in jean shorts and a white sleeveless  
top, hoping that the rain had stopped and she wouldn't have to come back and change.  
Grabbing her laptop, she silently left the room she and Jane shared, prepared to walk a  
block down the street to have some coffee and check her email.

As she made her way down the elevator, Lizzy thought of her and Jane's talk. It had  
gone better than she'd expected, but it also put her in a fowl mood in regards to Will.  
She knew he'd pick up on it right away, and she really wished they hadn't already  
agreed to go on the cruise.

'_Maybe Georgiana will come_.' Lizzy thought hopefully. Though, if Georgiana were  
coming, no doubt Caroline would be as well.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she walked out the door and didn't even  
notice the crowd gathering across the street. Luckily, though, no one noticed her  
either, the young woman too tan and normal looking to be a member of a rock band.

After getting her coffee, with a few friendly words to the girl behind the counter Jane  
and she had been getting to know from their frequent stops there, Lizzy picked a  
table in the very back of the café and started up her laptop.

She gazed around the room as her coffee cooled and her computer started up. It was  
relatively empty for a Saturday, but it was still early. It was full of mostly young kids,  
with a few business-looking men and woman strewn in.

When her computer was up, Lizzy went straight for her email. It had been awhile  
since she checked it and she took her time deleting all the junk mail before starting  
to go through everything.

The first one she opened was from Charlotte, asking how everything was going  
and if Jane was feeling better. Lizzy read this one first, feeling guilty for keeping  
her friend in suspense.

She had a few from her uncle, who was also her lawyer, and she checked these next,  
though she knew if he really needed to get a hold of her that he would have called her  
cell phone. As she guessed, it wasn't anything urgent. He was just keeping her updated  
on stories of her little cousins and how her aunt was doing.

After answering all her emails, she was about to sign off when a new one just came in.  
She was surprised to see it was from her friend and fellow band mate Bobby, who  
played the drums. He wasn't much for writing emails- didn't have the patience for it.  
Curious to see what would cause him to write, Lizzy read eagerly.

_Hey Lizard, _

_I see they've finally found you. Who would have  
thought you'd be hiding out in some Island  
getaway? (Well, besides me, who you told)  
And who's this guy you're smooching on? Do  
I need to come give the big brother talk already? _

_Heard from the Jackass (Wickham). Yeah, he  
called to tell me there was no hard feeling  
between us and if I wanted to join the new band  
he was starting he could give me a hand. Ha! As  
if I would EVER need that guys help. I set him  
straight, Liz, don't worry. He's just lucky he  
called because if I had seen him you're little beat  
down would have been nothing in comparison to  
what I'd do to him._

_No offence Lizard- I know you gave him a good  
walloping. (Sorry - been hanging around my  
parents too long. Some vacation huh? Should have  
come with you.) _

_Anyway- maybe I'll see you soon, huh? _

_Your big bro,_

_Bobby-o_

_PS- I've attached the pic and article they got of  
you for a laugh (_what_ did you do you your hair?)  
And Did you notice they mentioned me? ;)_

_Bobby_

Lizzy, mouth dry and heart pounding, clicked on the link Bobby had sent in the email.  
To her horror, it showed her and Will, outside the restaurant in the rain, holding hands.  
Lizzy knew Will was just brushing the hair out of her face, but from the angle they shot  
the picture it looked more like a caress.

'**_Liz's New Love Interest_**!' The headline blared.

_It seems the paparazzi has finally caught up with Liz- lead  
singer of Oblong Urn, the band facing all the recent  
controversy. After the much anticipated and talked of trial,  
which resulted in a hung jury, Liz abruptly vanished from  
the public's eye. _

_Close friends- including band mate Bobby Duncent- were  
very tight lipped when asked directly where Liz was. Jane  
Bennet, who was thrown in the middle of Liz and her Liz's  
former friend and band mate George Wickham's very  
publicized fight, insisted she was fine. Not long after, she  
too disappeared. _

'_Stop making it out to be a big conspiracy.' Drummer  
Bobby told reporters gruffly when confronted. 'They're  
both fine.' _

_Apparently so. Photographer Larry Fent caught up with  
Liz and her sister as they were having dinner with two male  
friends. One was Charles Bingley, who has been seen often  
with sister Jane. The other, identified as Fitzwilliam Darcy,  
(shown above) is a close personal friend of Bingleys who  
owns _Pemberley Waters_, the grand hotel and spa nearby,  
and who has obviously caught Liz's eye. _

'_She's been trying to impress him,' Fent observed. 'She was  
dressed as nicely as I've ever seen her dressed. Her hair  
was even a normal color. As it being her natural color- well  
I couldn't tell you.' _

_Fent is, of course, referring to the ongoing question Liz fans  
are always wondering- what _is_ Liz's natural hair color?  
The rock star has been seen in every color excluding  
traditional ones- I.E, brown, black or blonde- though she  
has been seen as a redhead. _

_Semi-private, it didn't come to anyone's surprise that Liz  
wanted to sneak away to be alone with her new boyfriend.  
And as Bingley and Darcy are such good friends, and the  
Bennet sisters so close, it was no wonder that Liz whisked  
Jane off to join the fun. _

The article went on, but Lizzy couldn't read anymore. The only thing she could think of  
was how Will would react to reading this, or something like it. She'd never gotten a  
chance to explain who she really was, and now the option was taken out of her hands.  
Not to mention the fact that in implied they were in a relationship.

She knew this would happen, didn't she? That hadn't been and idle threat that- Lizzy  
checked the article- Larry Fent had thrown at her. She knew everyone had been  
wondering where she was and that there was no way a reporter could keep it to himself.  
What had she been thinking?

But maybe it wasn't to late to get out of here. Lizzy snapped her computer shut, tossed  
her mostly full coffee cup in the trash and practically ran out of the coffee shop. She  
jogged down the street until she was close enough to see what she'd missed coming  
out. A bunch of people, mostly men, all holding cameras, some video cameras, and  
watching the front door to the hotel like hawks.

She was lucky no one spotted her on the way out- could she be just as lucky going  
back in? Lizzy didn't want to take the chance. Acting like an employee late for work,  
she ducked her head, slipped around the side of the hotel and went in the employee-  
only entrance.

The door opened into the kitchen, where she immediately got looks. Ignoring them,  
she rushed through until she was in the main lobby, where she practically ran up to  
her room.

"Jane?" Lizzy called out at seeing the empty bed. She put her computer on a side  
table and pulled out her suitcase.

"Lizzy? What's the matter?" Jane asked, eyes wide. She was still in her pajamas, and  
she held her toothbrush in one hand and a tube of toothpaste in the other.

"It's awful, Jane. There's a bunch of reporters outsides- we've got to get out of here  
before we get stuck." Lizzy said quickly, stuffing clothes quickly into the suitcase.

"Oh, no." Jane, as much experienced with this situation as Lizzy, didn't stop to  
question her.

The sisters didn't say anything else for a while. Jane finished getting dressed while  
Lizzy ran all around the room, throwing things into their suitcases almost at random.  
Jane then instructed Lizzy to call Will and tell him they wouldn't be able to make it,  
and started straightening out their clothes so they were packed better.

Lizzy pulled out her cell phone, but hesitated. Had Will already heard? What would  
she say to him if he had? What would she say to him if he _hadn't_? Jane turned to  
see Lizzy chewing on her lip, fingers perched over the phone and ready to dial.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked again.

"I…It's this article." Lizzy sighed, and then pulled it back up on her computer.

Jane read quickly, brow furring. "He doesn't know about you, does he?" Jane guessed.

"I thought he did." Lizzy replied.

"But now?" Jane questioned knowingly.

"But now I'm not sure. Of course, if he's seen this he will." Lizzy said, wishing again  
she'd told him when she had the chance.

"Don't worry, I'll call Charles." Jane soothed, taking the phone from Lizzy who gave  
it up gratefully.

Lizzy took over straightening their things out, but listened avidly to Jane's conversation.

"Hello, Charles." Jane, despite the situation, smiled at hearing his voice. "I'm sorry,  
but we won't be able to make it this afternoon."

"What?" Lizzy watched Jane's face closely, trying to guess what Charles was saying.  
"Yes, Lizzy says there's a lot camped outside."

Lizzy's heart sped at Jane's reply. That meant Charles knew what had happened,  
didn't it? And if Charles knew, then Will did too.

"Oh… I don't know… Lizzy wants to get out of here before it gets any worse." She  
tried to catch Jane's eye to ask what he was saying but Jane, wither deliberately or  
not, wasn't looking her way.

"That's really nice of you guys, but I don't think Lizzy…" Jane trailed off again and  
Lizzy lost all pretenses of folding their clothes neatly away.

"What?" she asked, finally making Jane turn to look at her.

"Hang on, I'll ask." Jane said into the phone before addressing her. "Charles and Will  
are offering to come and get us. I told him you want to go home before it really gets  
crazy, but Will says we can stay there, that they can keep the press away."

Lizzy didn't know what to think. Will was taking this in stride? He wasn't calling,  
demanding she explain herself, but was actually offering her a way out? It was very  
nice of him of course, but she couldn't accept…could she? Sure, Pemberley was  
famous for it's privacy, but it was so big. Surely someone would be able to sneak in.

Then again, where else could she go that the press wouldn't follow? The only way  
off the island is by plane, and there was only one airport. They would follow her  
there, and they would follow her home, whether she went to her parent's house or Janes.

"Lizzy?" Jane prompted.

"I… what do you think?" Lizzy asked. Jane wouldn't be as stuck as she- once they  
found Lizzy they wouldn't need to tail Jane as well, and she could get home easily enough.  
But she would have to spend some time at Pemberley, with Charles. Of course, she already  
agreed to spend they day with him, didn't she?

"I'll go wherever you go." Jane replied and Lizzy was suddenly very grateful she had her  
as a sister.

"Tell him the faster he gets here, the better. And that he might want to bring some extra  
people for crowd control… and to keep in mind that everyone's going to follow us back  
to Pemberley." Lizzy instructed, and then resumed packing.

Jane, smiling, relayed all this back to Charles. They talked a minute more, then, with a  
promise to see them soon, Charles hung up.

Lizzy was dying to ask Jane if Charles said anything about Will but couldn't bring herself  
to do it. So the sisters quickly finished packing in a silence broken only by the occasional  
'_Did you see my_…?' or '_Hand me that, will you_?'

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Just some quick notes -

I've added Darcy's letter again. It's the same one as in Chapter six, I just added it so no one who wanted to reread it would have to go searching.

Also, everyone, or all his friends (excluding Lizzy and Caroline) calls Will Fitz. Lizzy, of course, calls him Will and Caroline calls him William. I just didn't want to confuse anyone.

I know I'm straying further and futher from the original book, but thats the way the story is taking me, so I hope you guys (and girls) don't mind.

I also know I've been dragging it out, but Lizzy's whole back story is going to be explained next chapter, so hopefully you'll be able to hold out until then. ;)

So what do you think?


	12. Rescues and Answers

**_Blossom1098, Riotgirllina, Sobee1982, Hawkeye Chuui, Dolphin Dreamer, Shadowsndust, Dixie Volleyball, Terbear, Mara look-a-like, jessy, Gentileschi, xXx-Dee-xXx, Randomisation, Kat, Teengirl01, Jenn, Jacquianne, SjDarcy, Missusmesser, Saeo, Mel7, Palomino, Smiling4eva, and Etar..._**

Wow! That's _alot_ of feedback:) Thanks soooooo much for all you're reviews! You guys are the most _awesomest_ people _**ever**_. I LOVE all the great feedback I get and it really inspires me to get on the updates.

I know I took a long time, but I've had some problems with my computer and just the usual writers block stuff. But it's finally here! I won't go on and on this week, I'll just let you get right down to it. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve  
**_Rescue and Answers_

As promised, not ten minutes had passed before Charles called back, letting themknow they were  
downstairs.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked Lizzy through the phone.

Lizzy glanced out the window, noticed two black town cars she assumed was Will, Charles and,  
hopefully, the extra help she's requested. The crowd was stirring at the sight of their getaway cars  
and Lizzy knew they be spotted no matter what.

"How many extras did you bring?" Lizzy asked.

"Four- all from Pemberley's security." Charles answered and Lizzy couldn't help being impressed.

"Okay- send two of them up- If you or Will get out of the car you'll be mobbed. I've already told the  
front desk that you'll be coming so they won't be stopped. Have the other two by the door waiting  
for us. When Jane and I come down just have them walk us to the car. The crowds gotten bigger, but  
it should be fine." Lizzy instructed.

"Got it. See you soon." Charles replied and Lizzy couldn't help noticing how excited he sounded.  
Smiling, she hung up and told Jane what was happening.

The sisters watched through the window as four good-sized men, two from one car and two from  
another walked up to the entrance of the hotel. Without comment to each other or the crowd shouting  
questions at them, two men stayed outside while the other two entered.

Lizzy guessed they've had a lot of practice with all the famous people who stayed at Pemberley and  
she was very grateful they were available. As she mentally prepared herself for going out there, she  
irrationally wished she'd had time to dress the part.

One of her famous trademarks, as the article had pointed out, was her hair. She usually had it dyed any  
color but her natural one, and she also always wore a nose ring. She still slept with it in so the hole  
didn't close up, but she already packed it without thinking and there was no time to go digging for it.

Jane rubbed her sisters arm, smiling to ease her mind. "It'll be fine." She soothed.

"Sure." Lizzy nodded. "It's not like I have to say anything…. Or should I?"

Jane thought about it. "I don't think so. Better to do it on your own terms, when you're more prepared."

"Yeah." Lizzy said just as there was a knock on the door. "That's a good point."

Jane and Lizzy grabbed their bags, Lizzy her guitar, and then went to answer it. After identifying  
themselves - with Pemberley Security badges, Lizzy noted, even more impressed - the two men grabbed  
Lizzy and Jane's things, and escorted them downstairs. Staff and guests stared blatantly, but Lizzy was  
used to this and so just pretended not to notice.

As they approached the front door, the cameramen closest to them, as close as the two men let them get,  
all began flashing their cameras, which set off the whole crowd. The two men who had Lizzy and Jane's  
bags went out first and when Jane and Lizzy followed, they all surrounded the sisters.

"Liz! Liz - over here!" this was immediately shouted at Lizzy from all sides, along with questions she  
could only half make out over the noise.

It was barely twenty feet to the cars, but to Lizzy it seemed much farther. She couldn't see through all the  
cameras flashing in her face, and she was grateful for the men leading her.

Then suddenly, the group split, two ushering Jane to one car and the other two closing rank around her.  
Lizzy bit back the protest at splitting with her sister but she had been doing this long enough to know  
that this had to be done. They wouldn't all fit in one car and, to be safe, both sisters need to ride with the  
makeshift bodyguards.

They were just to the car when a hand reached out and grabbed her. Lizzy turned to see a teenager, no  
more than fifteen, practically hopping up and down.

"Oh please, please can I have you're autograph?" She begged.

The man closest to her pulled the girls hand off her arm and pushed her away. Lizzy knew what she should  
have done - shrugged helplessly and kept walking.

"Wait." She told him, and reached for the paper and pen in the girl's hand. "What's your name?"

"Sarah." She told Lizzy excitedly. "I have every one of your CD's- I just love you're music. And I never  
believed anything Wickham said about you." She added fiercely.

_To Sarah, thanks for your support, Liz, Oblong Urn._ Lizzy jotted down, then handed it back to her.  
"Thank you- that means a lot to me." She said, touching the girls' shoulder.

Sarah looked as if she would cry, but before either of them could say anything else, one of the men opened  
the backdoor to the car and another ushered her into it.

Once inside, Lizzy realized there might have been ulterior motive to splitting Jane and herself up in two  
different cars.

"Hey, Will." she said meekly to the man sharing the back seat with her.

"Hey. Are you okay?" he asked in a slightly awkward manner.

"Oh sure. This is... you know... normal." She replied, not exactly meeting his eye. She wished now more than  
ever that she'd told him the whole story when she'd had the chance.

The two men who'd escorted her had gotten into the front seats. When the car started and began pulling  
away, all the reporters jumped into their cars in an attempt to follow them. Lizzy turned and looked out through  
the back window, making sure Jane was okay. There was no sign of her or the men who'd walked her over,  
so Lizzy assumed she'd gotten in okay.

She turned back around when the car left the parking lot and enter the main road. The silence in the car was  
the most uncomfortable Lizzy had experienced with Will and she didn't know exactly how to break it.

"Thanks." she blurted out. "For getting us out of there." she explained to his startled gaze.

"Oh. No problem." he said with a small, almost forced smile.

She sighed and looked out the window, trying to figure out how long of a ride this was going to be.

"We've got people at the gates, ready to let us through and block the rest." Will said after a minute.

"That's good." Lizzy said, trying to think of something to add. Deciding there was nothing to do but get this  
over with, and telling herself it couldn't possibly get any more awkward, Lizzy screwed up her nerve to tell  
him the whole story.

"I guess..." she started, turning to finally meet his gaze. "I guess we should finally have that talk."

"If you're ready." Will hedged, but looked eager to finally hear the whole story.

"I don't know how much you already know... so I'll just start at the beginning. " Will didn't protest this, so  
Lizzy turned slightly in her seat so she faced him better. She now wondered if there would be enough time to  
say everything, but decided not to worry about that now.

"Well... I guess the beginning is when I turned eighteen- when I left home. Ran away, technically, but by that  
time I was old enough to leave home. Jane was in college by then and struggling enough without having to  
look out after her little sister, so I took my friend up on his offer to crash with him.

Bobby and I've known each other since we were twelve, so I felt safe enough with him. He lived in Atlanta,  
but Charlotte, another friend of mine, was driving up to tour colleges in the area, so she gave me a ride. When  
I got there, he had another friend living with him as well, but he seemed nice enough, so I didn't mind.

Bobby, George and I grew really close, and since we all played instruments it wasn't long before we formed a  
band. We all had jobs, of course, but we got regular gigs pretty fast. I had to lie about my age, because we  
played a lot of bars, but soon we got an offer to be an opening act on tour for a pretty well known band. A little  
later we were signed ourselves. It all happened really fast. Really, really fast.

I was just twenty when we were signed- even then they thought I was twenty-two. When we had to give them  
all our information, they were kinda peeved, but in the end it didn't matter. We already had a following and  
they could see how big we were going to get.

Right before we went on our second tour - last year- Jane had just finished college. She graduated from a  
Florida college, had never really been anywhere else so as a sort of graduation present I offered for her to come  
with us. She could see the states and we could spend time together. Bobby and George said they didn't mind,  
and Jane agreed." Lizzy paused in her story to shake her head. "I wish I'd never asked her. I wish she'd never  
accepted." she added ominously.

Will knew something bad was coming and, without really thinking about it, reached over to take her hand. She  
looked startled at first, as if she'd forgot he was there, but then she gave a tentative smile and continued.

"The tour went great. We were high on the attention already. A lot of people thought we'd burn out just as  
quickly as we started, but two of our songs had made the top ten charts and we didn't care what anyone said.  
We were dog-tired, though. Our first tour wasn't as long, and we started our second one almost as soon as  
the first one ended.

We were close as a band. I was closer with Bobby than George, but aside from the occasional fight, we got  
along okay. George kind of distanced himself from the band, I think. Bobby and I went out drinking when we  
had the chance, but I think George wanted to live the life of a rock star. Though neither Bobby nor I saw him,  
we suspected that he was into drugs and the longer we were on tour the worse his moods got.

We had a show in New York, which we were all a little afraid of, but which went great. We went out to  
celebrate - Bobby, George, Jane and I, and that's when Jane met Charles. She's usually kind of shy, but the  
band was high on adrenaline from the show and I think she caught some of it, so she went over to talk to  
him. They hit it off, as you probably know, and we invited him to come to the show the next night. He did  
and they hung out together right up until it was time for us to move on.

They kept in touch and he even flew out one weekend to see a show we were doing. He said he had to do  
some business right after the show, but that he'd catch up with us later. Bobby had already went on ahead  
to the party we were going to and I was about to leave when I got a call from our manager." Lizzy paused  
in her story again, this time to smile. Will got the impression she wouldn't have been able _not_ to smile, and  
was eager to hear the good news.

"Some executives at ABC had called her to let her know we'd been nominated for their American music  
awards- favorite band, duo or group- and they wanted to know if we'd like to perform as well." Her smile  
widened and she shook her head, lost in memory. "It was like... everything just hit then. We were getting  
recognized in the street, fan mail was pouring in and we were being nominated for an award. We were _famous_."

Will smiled, both happy and proud of her. Then her smile turned sour and her hand tighten on his. "I  
called Bobby but he didn't answer. I wanted to tell him in person, so I went looking for George so we  
could go. I couldn't find him anywhere, so I assumed he'd already left and went to find Jane instead."

She got such a look of hurt and anger on her face that Will wanted to say something to make her smile again.  
He knew it was useless though- this was the part of the story were it was going to get bad and Will just  
listened quietly so she could get it over with.

"I found them in her room. He was..." she grimaced, looking down at the clasped hands. "He was forcing  
himself on her. I don't know if he was drunk, or high... or just stupid." She paused again, lost in the memory.  
"I went ballistic. I was attacking him before I even realized it. He fought back when he realized what was going  
on, but I'd take Tie Kwon Do from when I was six until I was sixteen, when I left home.

It was over almost before it started. The worst I did was break his nose. Guys are such babies about their  
noses." she said with a shake of her head. Then, realizing what she just said- or rather who she just said it  
to- she looked up to meet his gaze with a sheepish smile. "No offense."

Will chuckled, too happy to see her smiling again to take any offense in anything she said.

"Jane was okay. She was more scared than hurt, and luckily I'd gotten there in time to stop him from doing  
anything. The damage was done, though. Both to Jane and to Wickham... or me, depending on how you look  
at it." Lizzy sighed and Will gave her a questioning gaze, wondering what she meant.

"When the crew came to pull me off Wickham, he started claiming that I'd attacked him for no reason. No one  
had seen him and Jane and it turned into our word against his. I didn't think much of it; I just wanted to get  
Jane away from him. Luckily, it was the last night of our tour and he disappeared to find his own way home.  
Bobby, Jane and I flew back to Bobby's apartment to decided what to do next.

Obviously I wasn't going to be in a band with Wickham anymore, and Bobby said it would be fine. We'd just  
get a new bass guitarist and hope for the best. I don't know if Wickham got wind of it, or if he just assumed  
we'd want him out of the band, but not long after we told our manager of our decision, Wickham pressed  
charges against me for attempted murder." Lizzy said and Will's jaw dropped.

"What!" he asked, incredulous, speaking for the first time since her story started.

"Because I have a black belt in Karate, my hands can be considered lethal weapons." she replied with a wiry  
smile.

"But... that's..." Will struggled to reply without sounding like he was insulting her.

"What? You don't think I can be a lean mean killing machine?" she asked, sitting up straight and pretending  
to be insulted.

Will looked down at their still clasped hands. He took her other hand in his so he held both, then made a show  
of examining them. "I'd answer... but now I'm afraid you might hurt me." he said and Lizzy laughed, shedding  
the sour mood she'd gotten in as she retold her story. Will looked delighted at having cheered her up.

"Hey- how long have we been here?" Lizzy asked, looking around for the first time. They were parked in  
Pemberley, the driver and other security man was gone, and Lizzy could see through Wills window that Jane's  
car was parked next to theirs.

"Oh, five minutes or so. I didn't want to interrupt you when you'd just got going." Will replied.

"I guess... we should go in then, huh?" Lizzy asked.

"Sure, if you're ready." Will said, watching her.

"Well there isn't much more to tell. I went back home to visit my family before the trial. My uncle handled the  
legal matters when we'd signed our contract, so he became my lawyer and that's where he had his practice. He  
argued that since I hadn't practiced karate in so long that it was too much of a stretch to get attempted  
murder. Also, Wickham couldn't prove I hadn't only been defending myself, because he was fighting too.

The crew members that broke us apart had testified. Some took Wickhams side, some took mine. In the end,  
though, it resulted in a hung jury and now we're waiting to see if Wickham will either drop it or try again.

I was pretty stressed throughout everything, and staying with Jane at the time, so one day Charles suggested  
I come here. Said a good friend owned it and that he thought it'd be perfect for me." Lizzy smiled up at Will.  
"You know the rest."

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you." Will said, smiling back at her.

"Well, I _do _look different." Lizzy replied, dropping one of his hands to run hers self-consciously through her hair.

"Elizabeth." he said, suddenly serious. "I'm sorry for what I said."

Lizzy met his gaze again, wondering what he could possibly be apologizing for.

"Last night- at the restaurant. The comment I made about you not being able to protect Jane. I see now why  
you got so angry with me." Will explained, looking downcast.

"It's okay, Will." she said, squeezing his hand. "You didn't know. I thought you did, and that's really why I  
got so angry, but you didn't know."

"How would I have known?" Will asked, confused.

"Well... when I found out you owned Pemberley, I guess I assumed that you looked me up." Lizzy replied.

"I could have." Will admitted slowly. "And I was very tempted. But it was kind of fun not knowing. Added  
to the mystery." he said with a smile.

Lizzy returned the smile, then glanced down at their hands. "Well I guess you know everything now."

"Not everything." Will said and Lizzy looked, giving him a questioning gaze. "I just wondered... how long  
did you know who _I _was?"

"Oh..." Lizzy looked uncomfortable. "After I went upstairs, that night we got back from the cruise, I called Jane.  
She told me that Charles had broken up with her, and the Caroline had said it was because of Georgiana."

"Georgiana?" Will interrupted, perplexed.

"Yeah. Caroline... she was under the impression that Charles and your sister had something going on." Lizzy  
explained with a sarcastic grin.

"What!" Will exclaimed.

"And Jane believed it, until she found out how old Georgiana is." Lizzy went on.

"I can't believe Caroline would..." Will trailed off, indignation clearly written on his face.

"Really? You can't?" Lizzy questioned, eyebrows raised. Will, scowling, shook his head. He wasn't in  
disagreement with her words, more at the situation itself.

"But what deos that have to do with how long you've known who I was?" he asked, getting her back on topic.

"Well..." Lizzy hesitated in replying. This was a rocky subject for them, but they've already covered one rocky  
subject, so Lizzy figured they might as well get it all out there while they were at it. "I remembered the comment  
you made the at dinner, on the cruise. That your friend Charles and the fortune hunter you saved him from."

Will winced at this, or possibly the harsh look she was unconsciously giving him.

"And I just put two and two together. Actually, I didn't know for sure until I found the plaque- the one by the  
doors that lead out to the beach. It mentioned you and Georgiana." Lizzy explained.

"I've told Charles. About the mistake in judgment I made about Jane, I mean." Will told her.

"About how you thought my sister was just after his money, you mean." Lizzy corrected and Will winced again.

"Yes." he said meekly and Lizzy decided she'd punished him enough. Especially when he was trying so hard to  
make up for his mistake.

"What did he say?" she asked in a gentler tone of voice.

"Well, he was pretty mad." Will said, remembering that, actually, Charles had never been as mad at Will as he  
was then. "But when I told him Jane was here, and that he might have a chance to-"

"_What_? You brought him here on _purpose_?" Lizzy digested this for a minute. "How did you even know Jane  
was here?"

"When you asked to have Jane stay with you at Pemberley, Mrs. Reynolds had to ask me. But by the time we  
got here you two had gone... or so I assumed." Will replied.

"By the way- what was the deal with trying to foot the bill for my stay?" Lizzy questioned.

"I thought I was being chivalrous." Will replied sheepishly.

"You mean you'd realized how wrong you were, and decided to try and buy my forgiveness." Lizzy corrected  
again, not being to help herself.

"Yes, okay? Yes I was a complete and utter ass; Yes I was would have done anything and everything to get  
you to not be mad at me anymore; and in doing so I've only made myself into a more complete and utter ass."  
Will replied darkly, running his free hand over his face.

"You're not a _complete _and utter ass, Will." she smiled, pulling his hand away from his face and holding that  
one in hers as well. "You were just... a misguided ass."

Will smiled in spite of himself.

"And I have forgiven you." she added more seriously.

"You have? Since when?" Will asked, surprised.

"Since you rescued Jane and I from the hotel this morning, without even knowing the whole story. Since I  
realized how bad you felt for what happened between Charles and Jane. Since I found out you tried to rectify  
it by bringing Charles here to talk Jane." Lizzy paused, thinking. "Since a lot of things."

"You really have?" Will asked, still a little unbelieving. He wore a hopeful smile.

"Yes, I really have." Lizzy smiled at him. "Now can we please go inside? You're going to run the battery  
down by just idling with the air-conditioner on." she warned.

"Oh..." Will said, looking around as if remembering where they were. "Yeah, okay."

He reluctantly released her hands and they both exited the car. Will went around to the driver's side and turned  
the car off, then led Lizzy to the front door.

"Is this still Pemberley?" She asked, looking around to place herself. They we close to the water, but the shore  
was rockier here. Thick trees that looked almost like a dense forest started right where the parking lot ended  
and Lizzy could see trails leading into it.

"It's the Darcy quarters. It's separate from the hotel, but still on the grounds." Will explained.

"Wow, I guess I didn't realize how big Pemberley was." Lizzy said, entering the grand house as Will held the  
door open for her.

"There you guys are." Charles said with humor in his voice. The pair turned to see he and Jane sitting on a  
comfortable looking love seat.

"Sorry," Lizzy said, walking over to join them. "I was just getting Will caught up on everything."

She took a seat on that couch that sat opposite the love seat Jane and Charles occupied, scooting over to  
make room for Will.

"Well, that was exciting. It's not everyday I have the chance to be mobbed." Charles said with a smile.

"Speak for yourself. You got to stay in the car the whole time." Lizzy teased. "My eyes are still blinded from  
the lights."

"Are you going to do a press conference?" Jane asked.

"I suppose I'll have to. They're not going to let up until they get answers... or until something more exciting  
than us happens." Lizzy replied, sounding hopeful.

"Fitz?" Georgiana's voice called from another room.

"In here." Will called back.

"Oh." she said at seeing the Bennet sisters. "Sorry. I didn't know you had company."

"It's okay." Will said with an easy smile, beckoning his sister into the room. "You remember Elizabeth and  
Jane, don't you?"

"Yes. Hello again." she said with a shy smile, sitting next to Will. "Caroline's looking for you. She has  
questions about the party." she informed her brother.

Will didn't try to hide his groan, much to Lizzy's amusement. "What could she possibly have to ask me?  
Everything is set. The only she's even in charge of is decorations and she finished that last night."

"Maybe she changed her mind again." Georgiana shrugged.

"It's your own fault, Fitz." Charles said with a grin. "I don't know how you let her talk you into letting her help."

"She's your sister." he said, almost like he was accusing Charles. "What was I _supposed _to say?"

Charles opened his mouth to reply but another voice override his.

"William?" Caroline's resonant voice rang out.

"In here." he sighed, sounding much more tired.

"Oh." Caroline, like Georgiana, had looked surprised at seeing the sisters sitting with Will and Charles.  
When she got over it, though, she wasn't any friendlier. Lizzy guessed that she tired to be, but wondered if  
Caroline knew her efforts looked more like a scowl than a smile.

"Jane, Eliza. How nice to see you... again." she offered, but turned to Will before they could respond. "William,  
dear, I'm afraid we're going to have a problem with the floral arrangements."

"Floral arrangements?" Will gave her a blank look. "Er... What floral arrangements?"

"You remember, dear. I asked if you thought it was a good idea to run flowers along the windows and you  
said you thought it'd look fine." Caroline responded.

"Oh- yes. Yes, of course." Will nodded his head, but Lizzy had a feeling he still had no idea what she was  
talking about.

'_Dear_?' Lizzy mouthed to Jane and Charles, who were facing her. Will and Georgiana were looking up at  
Caroline, who only had eyes for Will.

Jane smiled indulgently, but Charles snorted, gaining the attention of the room. He turned it into a cough and  
Jane even helped by patting him on the back.

"You okay there Charles?" Lizzy asked, sounding concerned, although she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"Fine." he said, recovering quickly.

He to was smiling, though, and Will looked from one to the other, trying to determine what was so funny.  
Elizabeth gave him an innocent look but Charles refused to meet his gaze.

"William." Caroline's voice caught his attention once more.

"Yes. Well, I guess you'd better show me the problem." Will said. Lizzy wondered if Caroline noticed how  
unhappy he sounded about it. But the smile on her face, Lizzy guessed not.

When Will had left with Caroline, Lizzy turned to Georgiana before she could slip out of the room after him,  
which seemed like what she had in mind, by the look on her face.

"I hear you've been accepted into Julliard- congratulations." she said, turning slightly on the couch to face  
her better.

"Thank you." Georgiana replied with another shy smile.

"How long have you played the piano?" Lizzy asked, determined to get Georgiana to open up and relax in her  
company, like she did yesterday at the beach.

"I'd always played around on it, but I didn't start to take lessons until I was eight." she replied.

"Eight!" Lizzy exclaimed, surprised. "How could you even sit still through the lessons at that age?" she  
asked with a smile.

"Oh I loved playing the piano." she eagerly replied. "It was like a treat, getting to learn."

"You sound like Lizzy." Jane interjected with a smile. "She didn't start that young, but when she started  
playing the guitar she practically begged our father to teach her."

"When did you learn?" Georgiana asked, curiosity outweighing her innate shyness.

"Thirteen. My dad had this old, crappy acoustic guitar that I found in the back of the garage one day. I asked  
him to teach me but he was so sure I'd lose interest as soon as he paid to have it repaired that he kept putting  
it off." Lizzy smiled at the memory.

"But he finally taught you?" Charles guessed.

"Only after Lizzy saved the money to repair it herself." Jane replied, smiling.

"Yeah. Luckily, though, I worked up calluses on my hands doing yard work for the neighborhood to do it.  
So when it was time to learn, I didn't have to work them up by playing." Lizzy said.

"Do you still play?" Georgiana asked.

"Have you ever heard of Oblong Urn?" Charles wondered, grinning.

"You're _that _Liz?" Georgiana asked, surprised.

"You can just call me Lizzy." she replied with a smile.

Before Georgiana had a chance to reply, Will and Caroline walked back into the room. Will immediately  
reclaimed his seat between his sister and Lizzy, which left Caroline to either squeeze onto the love seat Jane  
and her brother shared, or sit in the arm chair a little was back from the couches, but still in the circle.

With a glare at Lizzy, who got the impression it was some how her fault, Caroline choose the latter.

"So," Lizzy started after the room fell into a slightly awkward silence. "How goes the floral arrangements?"

"We," Will said in a way that Lizzy took to mean Caroline, "have decided to place them along the  
ceiling instead."

Lizzy opened her mouth to reply, but a musical tune coming from her pocket cut her off.

"I'm sorry." she said, pulling her cell phone out. "I thought I packed this."

She looked at the caller ID before rising. "Excuse me." she said, leaving the room so as not to disturb  
their conversation... such as it was.

"Lizzy?" Jane questioned. Lizzy could hear the concern in her sister's voice. Lizzy rarely used her cell  
and the only people who had her number usually only called in case of emergency.

"It's okay." Lizzy reassured her. "It's just Bobby."

Satisfied, Jane nodded and let Lizzy leave the room.

"Bobby-o" Lizzy greeted.

"Lizard." she could hear his smile through the phone. "So you're back at Pemberley, eh?"

Lizzy shook he head, smiling. "I _just _got here. How do you know that already?" she asked.

"Big brother knows all. Big brother sees all." He paused and Lizzy waited expectantly. "Big brother  
has the internet. It's the age of information, little Liz. Get with the times." he said and Lizzy chuckled.

"So, basically, I'm hanging out at this luxurious island resort and you're sitting at home - your _parents  
_home - surfing the net all day." Lizzy remarked.

"Oooh Liz, that hurts. I'm still the cool, wild, partying rock star I used to be." Bobby insisted.

"Suuure you are." Lizzy grinned.

"Look, just because I'm not making out with the first person I see - in front of the camera, no less -  
doesn't mean-" Bobby teased and Lizzy interrupted.

"I was _not _making out with him." she said, indigent even as she added 'That time.' in her head.

"Well someone sounds defensive." Bobby noted and Lizzy rolled her eyes. "This Pemberley place  
sounds nice, anyway."

"It is." Lizzy replied whole-heartedly. "You should come and check it out."

"Awww Lizard, do you miss me?" Bobby asked, gently teasing.

"I'm starting to wonder at the logic of it, myself." Lizzy teased back.

"Well, maybe I'll stop by. I have to give this Darcy guy my 'big brother' talk." he informed her.

"Don't you _dare_." Lizzy warned and Bobby laughed.

"Is Janie there?" he asked.

"Sure, hang on." Lizzy replied, then reentered the room.

"Bobby-o" she said simply, handing the phone to Jane. Jane smiled and stood to leave the room as  
Lizzy had done.

Lizzy noticed that, in her absence, Caroline had claimed her seat next to Will, so she sat where Jane  
just left, until she returned.

"Do you and Jane still want to go on the cruise?" Charles asked after a pause.

"I don't know." Lizzy replied slowly. "I think I better stick close to home until this blows over."

"No unauthorized person can get on the ship." Will reminded her and she wished she was close  
enough to elbow him again.

"Yes." she shot him a look. "But you can never be too careful, and I don't want to be stuck out in  
the middle of the ocean with a boat full of reporters. You and Jane should go, though."

"Go where?" Jane asked, reentering the room. "He says hugs and kisses all around." she handed  
Lizzy her phone. Lizzy pocketed it and gave Jane her seat back.

"I was just telling them that I shouldn't venture far from here, but that you guys can still go on the  
cruise." she explained to her sister.

"Oh. Did you guys still want to go?" she asked the room.

"I actually have some business to take care of here." Will replied, sharing a look with Lizzy. She  
rewarded him with a smile.

"I'm much too busy with the decorations." Caroline replied after hearing Will's decision.

"What about you, Georgiana?" Jane asked.

"We're having a concert at school the first week, I still have to practice." she answered quickly  
when everyone turned to hear her response.

"I guess it's just you and me." Charles said happily and Jane smiled.

Lizzy glanced at the front door, then around the room, which caused Will to ask what she was  
looking for.

"Where'd our bags go?" she asked.

"I asked to have them sent up to your rooms." Will replied.

"Their rooms?" Caroline exclaimed, hoping she'd misheard.

"Yes. I've invited them to stay here for a while." Will answered in a voice that she didn't dare make  
any snide comments to.

"How... lovely." she finally replied.

"Why don't we show you girls to your rooms? You can settle in before we leave." Charles offered,  
already standing.

* * *

So there we go. We have :  
1.) Lizzy's whole back story (Or is it the _whole_ story? ;) )  
2.) A Caroline appearance  
3.) A Georgiana appearance  
4.) A super extra long (although late) chapter  
5.) A super extra long non-cliffhanger chapter  
6.) And even a Will/Lizzy moment. 

So... What do you think?


	13. A long overdue party

* * *

Okay, I'm going to need everyone take some deep, calming breaths. No use passing out from shock before you get to read- finally- chapter thirteen.

Why did it take me so long to update? I have a million excuses, but the bottom line is that this past month has been crazy, and I just didn't have the time. But I'm back! And, for making you all wait so long, I've made this a looooong one. Not only that- I put two chapters up - at the same time! Come on… you know you want to forgive me… ;)

So I hope this chap in some way makes up for the fact that I haven't updated in ::shudders:: almost two months.

It's been too long, and I know - but I gave you a nice present ... :)

What is it? Well, you'll just have to read to find out. Enjoy!

Ps- just a reminder- Will is Fitz to everyone else, except Caroline, who calls him William.

Pps- I'm so mad- I spent all day writing this out and twiking it here and there and I go to post it and is messed up and wont let me! Sigh... luckily, though, I had two docs on there anyway, so I just copy and pasted. Go me!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen  
**_A long overdue Party_

"The blue one." Lizzy said decisively. "It matches your eyes."

Jane tossed the sundress she was just holding up to herself onto the bed were Lizzy was currently lounging. She picked the blue one up again and held it in front of her while she looked at the full-length mirror.

"But I was going to wear that long blue dress for dinner. I don't want to wear too much blue." she replied.

"Hmmm. What bathing suit are you going to wear?" Lizzy wondered.

"That green one." Jane responded, turning to add the blue sundress to the growing pile of discarded clothes on the bed.

"Then here." Lizzy said, pulling herself off the bed to walk through the connecting doors that led into her own room. "Try this one out."

Lizzy handed her a dark green dress made out of thin material. It was sleeveless and stopped just above Jane's knees.

"Perfect." Jane smiled, relived. She quickly changed into her bathing suit and slipped on the borrowed dress while Lizzy filled her in on all that the cruise had to offer.

Not much time had passed when there was a knock on the door. Without comment, Lizzy hurried over to the connecting doors and hid in her room with the door opened just a crack.

"What are you doing?" Jane, too used to her sister's sometimes odd behavior to be to bewildered at her actions, was just mildly curious.

"Giving you some privacy." Lizzy responded in a loud whisper.

"You're still here." Jane pointed out, laughing.

"He doesn't know that. Get the door already!" Lizzy commanded, smiling.

Jane shook her head in amusement, but did what she was told.

"Hey." Lizzy could only make out Charles voice from this angle.

"Hey." Jane she could see, but only the back of her.

"You look great." Charles said with obvious sincerity.

"Thank you." Jane, Lizzy imagined, was smiling shyly back.

"Ready?" Charles asked after a slight pause.

"Yes, let me just get..." Jane trailed off, turning back into the room to get the small bag she packed with a change of clothing.

Lizzy caught her eyes and gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up, but backed farther out of sight when Charles also stepped into Jane's room to take the bag from her hand.

"Let me." he said.

There were a few more muffled words before Lizzy heard Jane's door close. She peeked in again, just to be sure they were gone and almost jumped out of her skin when a deep voice began talking behind her.

"What are you doing?" Will asked.

Lizzy whirled around to face him, holding a hand to her beating chest.

"You scared," she paused to take an exaggerated breath in. "The crap out of me."

"Aren't you a little old to be spying on your sister?" Will asked crossing his arms and smiling.

"I wasn't spying," she said with false haughtiness. She closed the door that connected her room to her sisters and walked past Will to sit on her bed. "She knew I was there."

"So what do you call it?" He asked, turning to follow her movements with his eyes.

"Giving moral support." she replied triumphantly. "And what do you call sneaking into a girls room when she's not looking?"

"Your door was open," he pointed out.

"That's beside the point." She replied.

"It isn't sneaking in if the door is open." he said.

"It doesn't matter if the door is open," she told him. "It's sneaking if I don't know you're there."

He pretended to think about it for a minute until Lizzy broke down and smiled. "So what did you come sneaking in here for?"

"I'm still not sure I snuck in - but I wanted to see if you felt up to doing something, since Jane is going off with Charles." Will asked.

"I thought you had 'business to take care of'" Lizzy quoted, smiling.

"Yeah, you know, I thought I did. But it just occurred to me that I've already taken care of it. Funny how those things slip your mind, isn't it?" Will said conversationally, but there was a smile tugging at his lips.

Lizzy smiled, knowing the only reason he'd said he had something else to do was to give Charles and her sister a chance to be alone for awhile. She knew he wouldn't have wanted to be a third wheel, but she was happy that he made it seem like a conspiracy between them.

"What did you have in mind?" Lizzy wondered.

"Well, we could go over to the resort and get some food, if you're hungry." He suggested.

"Hmm..." she said, thinking of the fleeting breakfast she had that morning before all hell had broken loose. "I could eat."

Will and Lizzy, after sneaking out before Caroline could invite herself along, had spent the rest of the day together. After lunch, Will took Lizzy on a tour of the grounds, showing her his favorite parts and telling her what it was like growing up in a private resort.

They had come to a quite spot at the top of a trail. There was a giant bolder that looked like it was stuck to the side of a hill and as Will took her closer, she saw that they were facing the ocean. At his assurance of safety, they both sat on the rock to rest while she encouraged him to tell her more of what it was like growing up at Pemberley Waters.

"It doesn't seem to abnormal to me." he told her. "What you grow up with seems perfectly normal when you're a kid. I had private tutors until I went to a real school when I was thirteen. I knew we had more money then some of the other kids at my school, but I didn't know that none of the other kids ate most of their meals at a restaurant inside their own resort."

Lizzy was blown away. On the surface, Will and she were a lot alike. They shared the same humor, liked the same music, books and types of movies, but their backgrounds were total opposites.

Something puzzled her about his story. "You and Georgiana are ten years apart."

"Yes." he prompted, knowing it wasn't a question.

"And you didn't go to school until you were thirteen." she stated.

"Yes." he repeated, wondering were she was going with this.

"Well, who did you play with when you were growing up- before you went to school?" she wondered. He shrugged nonchalantly, but Lizzy noticed he frowned slightly at the memory.

"There were some kids who's parents came regularly to the resort; but," he admitted, "I didn't know what real friendships were like until I went to school. I couldn't believe some of the kids had been friends for years. It was a lot to get used to, and I didn't really fit in well. It was all too foreign to me."

Lizzy digested this, feeling sorry for the younger Will. He was thrown into school at the beginnings of the awkward adolescent times for a child-just-turned-teen and, on top of that, was expected to blend right into a world he knew nothing about. She now understood more of his sometimes shy, sometimes outgoing nature.

"Did you make any friends?" she wondered.

"Some. I was quiet and I got good grades, but I also joined the soccer team, so that helped me get to know some of the kids. But I wasn't really close to anyone until I was about fifteen."

"What happened then?" She asked.

"I met Charles." he smiled.

"You did?" She was surprised they'd known each other that long, but happy he'd met an obviously good friend when he needed one.

"He got transferred to our school, and we had homeroom together. I sat in the back, and the only free seat was next to mine. He was friendly from the start, but like I said, I was kind of shy. Most of the other kids didn't really try to talk to me much after they realized I didn't talk back. I think there was a rumor going around that I was too proud to socialize with the other kids. That I thought I was too good for them." Both reacted to this statement. Lizzy got indigent on his behalf and Will frowned deeply at the memory.

"But, Charles followed me around- we had quite a few classes together- and he was a little behind as his school hadn't gotten as far as ours did, so I helped him catch up. Once I realized he'd heard what kids said about me and he obviously didn't care, I opened up more around and we became good friends pretty fast." Will finished. His easy smile at remembering how Charles and his friendship came about disappeared and he was frowning again.

"What?" Lizzy asked, curious why his mood had changed so quickly.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" Lizzy asked in reply, more confused than ever.

"That. Didn't we start off talking about you? How did the conversation turn onto me?" Will wondered.

"Search me." she shrugged, but was smiling.

"Well then, what was it like for you growing up?" he asked pointedly. Lizzy sighed, turning her gaze back to the sea below them.

"Pretty normal, I guess. Growing up in a house with five girls, there was always something going on. Jane and I liked to escape sometimes though. Well, I think I liked to escape more than she did, but she came with me." She said, lost in memories.

"Where would you go?" Will asked.

"Oh, around the neighborhood. Of course, we'd go to get away from everyone, but usually kids from the neighborhood would spot us and some walk with us. We started to have our own friends when we were about twelve. Before that we were all just a big group, but Jane started to do too many girlie things, and didn't want to go fishing anymore, or walking down by the canal, or play sports." Lizzy and Will shared a smile.

"That's when you met Bobby?" Will asked. Lizzy was shocked he'd remembered.

"Yeah. He lived over the footbridge that connected his neighborhood with ours, but we didn't actually meet until the first day of school. We got paired off and had to do a get-to-know-you thing. Then we found out we lived near each other and liked the same things, so we started hanging out.

I was like you, in a way. I had a lot of friends, but I didn't hang out with anyone until I met Bobby. I was close with our next-door neighbor, Charlotte, but she went to another school and was a few years older than me, so we didn't have a chance to hang out much. Of course, I always had my sisters, especially Jane." she said.

"I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister growing up. I was so happy when I found out my mom was pregnant with Georgiana, but I was ten by then." Will said.

"I always wanted a brother. I remember wishing Katie and Lydia would be boys." Lizzy said, smiling.

"But not Mary?" Will asked with a slight smile. Lizzy was once again surprised he'd remembered something she told him so long ago.

"I was only two when Mary was born." She reminded him, grinning back.

"Ah yes. Well, I wanted Georgiana to be a boy, too. I wanted to have a younger brother to teach things too, and-" Will cut himself off when they heard the sound of something moving through the brush towards them.

Lizzy stood on instinct and Will rose to follow. "There's not... bears or anything in these woods, are there?" she asked, unconsciously taking a step closer to him.

Will grinned down at her, reaching around as if to put an arm around her. It either wasn't his attention or he chickened out; either way he only patted her on the shoulder and dropped his hand back to his side.

"Don't worry - it's probably just someone coming up the trail." he assured her, still smiling.

"Probably?" she frowned to hide the smile that threatened to emerge at his good humor.

Before he could answer, two girls and two boys no more than eighteen broke from the trail, obviously intending to occupy Lizzy and Wills spot. In silent communication, both moved as if they had been heading back to the trail before the group showed up.

Will and Lizzy exchanged polite hellos with the group. The two girls were openly staring at Lizzy and the couple wasn't five feet away before they heard one of the girls whisper to the others, "Do you know who that _was_?"

* * *

By the time Will and Lizzy made it back to the estate, Caroline and Georgiana were just sitting down to dinner. Lizzy would have liked to skip it, but lunch was a long time ago and she was starving. She and Will went to their respective rooms to change, but Lizzy took her time in getting back to the dining room.

She definitely didn't want to return before Will, least she have to face the questions Caroline would no doubt have about what she and Will had been up to all afternoon. Part of her was also half hoping Jane and Charles would show up to defuse any awkward conversation Caroline would force on her, even though she knew from experience that Jane wouldn't be home for hours.

When she was sure Will would have returned, and reminding herself that Georgiana would be there too, Lizzy finally made her way back. She entered the room to tense silence that made her sure her name had just been in the conversation. She ignored it with practice and took the seat Will offered that sat across him, and next to Georgina. Caroline sat on Wills right and opposite Georgiana, as far away from Lizzy as possible, for which she was grateful.

Another tense silence followed before Caroline launched into a long detailed report on all she'd done for the party that afternoon, effectively cutting Lizzy from any conversation she might have had with Will. A few times during dinner, Will tried to turn the conversation to include Georgiana and Lizzy, but Caroline always expertly pulled it back. Lizzy didn't mind though. She'd immediately turned to Georgiana and started up a conversation about school, and was happy to note that the younger girl was becoming more comfortable in her presence.

After dinner, the four moved into a different room where all three enticed Georgiana to play them something on the piano. She obliged and began playing a complicated classical tune that had Lizzy staring in amazement.

"Georgiana, I'm sure you've heard this a million times, but you play wonderfully." she said, joining her at the piano when she had finished. Caroline was still desperately trying to make up for losing Will to Lizzy for a whole afternoon, and was going on to Will about something Lizzy had long since lost interest in.

"Thank you." Georgiana said with a pleased smile. "Won't you play something? You have your guitar, don't you?"

"Oh- no. Well I mean, yes I do have my guitar but I couldn't play." Lizzy stammered out.

"Why not?" Georgiana asked, smiling.

"How can I play anything after that performance?" Lizzy asked, smiling when Georgiana laughed.

"Oh come on. You're a famous rock star, surely you're not shy about playing in front of a few friends?" Georgiana asked, but didn't wait for her response before turning around to face her brother, who had been listening intently to their conversation. "Fitz, tell her she must play something for us."

"It's only fair, Elizabeth, you made Georgiana play something." Will informed her with a smile.

"_I _made her? I seem to remember the whole room insisting she play." she replied, with mock outrage.

"Well, the whole room is insisting you play now, so you'd better go get your instrument." Will told her.

Lizzy highly doubted Caroline would be included in that statement, but recognized a losing battle when she saw one. Grumbling good naturedly, she made her way up to get her guitar.

She didn't really mind playing for Georgiana and Will, but Caroline would be a kill joy. Still, she could do what Caroline had been doing all night - pretend she wasn't there

"Since you forced me into submission, is there any requests for what I play?" Lizzy asked after warming up.

"Whatever you want to play." Georgiana said.

"I'm not that up on classical music, I'm afraid." she said with a grin. "But how about a little Simon and Garfunkel?"

"Oh Will loves Simon and Garfunkel." Georgiana said before Will could reply.

"Perfect." she shared a smile with Will, and then started plucking out a tune.

Many's the time I've been mistaken, and many times confused  
Yes and I've often felt forsaken, and certainly misused  
Ah but I'm alright, I'm alright, I'm just weary to my bones  
Still you don't expect to be bright and bon-vivant  
So far away from home, so far away from home

And I don't know a soul who's not been battered  
I don't have a friend who feels at ease  
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered or driven to its knees  
But it's alright, it's alright, for we lived so well, so long  
Still, when I think of the road we're traveling on  
I wonder what's gone wrong, I can't help it I wonder what's gone wrong

And I dreamed I was dying, I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly  
And looking back down at me, smiled reassuringly  
And I dreamed I was flying, and high up above my eyes could clearly see  
The statue of liberty, sailing away to sea, And I dreamed I was flying  
But we come on a ship they called Mayflower  
We come on a ship that sailed the moon  
We come in the ages' most uncertain hours and sing an American tune  
And it's alright, oh it's alright, it's alright, you can be forever blessed  
Still tomorrow's gonna be another working day and I'm trying to get some rest  
That's all I'm trying, to get some rest

Lizzy smiled shyly while they clapped, Will and Georgiana a bit more enthusiastically than Caroline, who was beginning to get a sour look on her face. Lizzy ignored it easily, and then convinced Georgiana to do a duet with her. Both started searching their brains for all the piano/guitar duets they knew, and for some songs, Lizzy just sang while Georgiana played.

They played a few more songs, the last couple with even Will joining in every once in a while. They were in the middle of the Eagles 'Hotel California', which they all loved and knew the words to, but couldn't exactly remember the order that they came in. They were good-naturedly arguing when Jane and Charles joined them, finally home from the cruise.

"Jane - Thank god. Would you please tell the Darcy's that the lyrics are 'We are all just prisoners here' not 'We are all just visitors here'?" Lizzy said as the couple once again claimed the loveseat.

"Jane, would you please tell your sister that 'Her mind is Tiffany-twisted' comes before and not after 'So I called up the captain'," Will said before Jane could reply to Lizzy. Jane and Charles shared a smile.

"I'm glad to see you're getting along so well." Charles joked.

"What are you guys doing?" Jane redirected their questions so she wouldn't have to pick a side. Lizzy saw through her sister, but just smiled and didn't call her on it.

"Entertaining ourselves. Have you heard Georgiana play yet Jane? She's amazing." Lizzy replied, making Georgiana blush.

"I could never sing as well as you do, Lizzy. You voice is beautiful." The younger Darcy replied honestly, hoping to take the focus off of herself.

"We could argue all night," Lizzy replied with a smile. "But how about we just agree that we're equally talented in our own ways."

"Deal." Georgiana replied, returning her smile.

"Do you know," Jane spook up with recollection in her voice. "That Lizzy hated to sing when we were kids?"

"No." Will said disbelievingly. "Really?"

"I didn't hate to _sing_." Lizzy corrected, running a hand through her hair. "I hated when mom kept putting me on display for all her friends, and when she made me join the church choir."

"Mmm, yes." remembered Jane with a half grimace, half smile in her face. "That was... eventful."

"The Church choir?" Charles asked, clearly amused. He made a show of scrutinizing her. "Nope. Can't picture it." he said finally, earning laughs.

"Ha, ha." Lizzy scowled at him to hide her smile.

"What happened?" Will wanted to know.

"Oh Lizzy did everything she could to get out of it." Jane replied.

"Disappeared before church." Remembered Lizzy with a smile.

"Pretend she couldn't sing when she got there." Added Jane, sharing a grin with her sister.

"Pretend I couldn't remember the words. I think it finally ended when Ms. Roberts told me I'd never amount to anything and kicked me out." Lizzy said, her voice full of amusement.

"Which was, of course, exactly what Lizzy had wanted." Jane pointed out.

Lizzy joined the rest of the room in laughter. "Now, of course, they tell everyone who'll listen how I spent my happiest moments there, under the tutelage of the woman who couldn't stand me."

"Her words, not theirs." Jane added.

"William." Caroline, who had been unusually silent through most of the evening - that is to say she didn't make half as much snide comments at Lizzy as she'd come to expect- finally called attention to herself. "Maybe we should call it an early night. Tomorrow is a big day, you know."

For some reason, she threw a superior look at Lizzy, who was trying not to laugh as Caroline called the little party to an end, sounding more like a mother sending the kids off to bed. It was, in her opinion, not the best way to get the guy you liked to look at you differently.

Georgiana chose that moment to yawn widely, and Will looked guilty. "I guess it is late, and you two must be exhausted after all the things you did for tomorrow."

"Oh Fitz, I'm not tired at all." Georgiana argued instantly. Lizzy caught a glimpse of what it must have been like when there were younger and smiled fondly.

"Well I am." Charles piped up.

"Me too." Jane agreed with a sigh. Lizzy fought the urge to tease them and instead turned her attention back to the room.

"Yeah, I'm pretty beat." She agreed.

"You two are coming to the party tomorrow, aren't you?" Will asked as they all stood.

"I..." Lizzy looked to her sister. Jane didn't looked surprised they'd been invited, or curious at what kind of party it was and Lizzy guessed Charles had told her all about it already. "I guess so."

"Great. It won't be anything big, and security is really tight, so you don't have to worry about anyone sneaking in." Will said walking up to her and taking her guitar. "Let me help you up with that."

"Thanks." she said with a appreciative smile. She chanced a look at Caroline and wasn't surprised at all to see the look of total hate she was giving her.

Jane and Charles were already slipping away, so Lizzy decided to give them as much privacy as she could and stalled her goodbye with Georgiana. After saying goodbye for about five minutes, however, she knew she couldn't push it anymore and Will and she made their way slowly up the stairs. He seemed content with taking their time and they carried on a murmured conversation of they different bands they liked.

When they reached the top of the stairs Charles and Jane were not, as she had expected, saying goodnight to each other. Well, Lizzy amended, maybe, in a way, they were. But she was so shocked by the sight of her shy and reserved sister kissing someone, out in plain sight and with obvious enthusiasm that she was rooted to the spot momentary. Luckily, however, Will kept his wits and pulled her around a corner before they were spotted.

"Oh, my god." Lizzy said, rubbing her eyes. "Were they just...?"

"So it would appear." Will said with a grin. "I guess they made up."

"So it would appear." Lizzy echoed back earning a laugh from him.

They were silent for a few minutes before Lizzy asked about the party. "It's nothing major." he told her. "Just something we do every year, invite most of the island for a some drinks, a buffet and dancing. Some go swimming, most just lay out." Will explained.

"Sounds like fun." Lizzy smiled.

"It can be. I'm... glad you're coming." he admitted in a low voice, not quite meeting her eyes.

"I'm glad you invited me." she replied, grinning at his sudden shyness. "I had fun today."

"I did too." he smiled once again meeting her gaze after he realized he didn't make her uncomfortable with his admission.

They heard Charles walk down the stairs, and peeked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing the hallway deserted, Will and Lizzy came out of their hiding place.

"The guests usually start arriving at around one tomorrow." Will told her as they stopped just outside her door.

"So is it formal, causal, semi formal, semi-casual?" Lizzy asked, already wondering what she would wear.

"Casual." Will replied, smiling. "Jeans and a t-shirt causal."

"I think I can manage that." Lizzy replied. They shared a smile before Will cleared his throat.

"Well, goodnight." he said and she took his guitar from him with a thanks.

"Night." she said, not making a move to go inside.

Will took this as encouragement, and leaned down towards her slowly, giving her plenty of opportunity to back away. When she closed her eyes and tilted her head up towards him, Will wasted no more time in brushing his lips with hers. He kissed her softly and, when she responded, brought a hand up to cup the back of her neck, effectively bringing her closer. With her free hand, Lizzy caressed his cheek, delighting at the small stubble she felt.

They broke apart at the same time, both with matching grins.

"Well," he repeated, clearing his throat again. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah... Night, Will." She said, still smiling as she turned to open her door.

"Night." he replied, waiting until she closed the door before finally making his way back downstairs.

* * *

The next morning, Lizzy dressed in long black jeans and a light blue and white plaid shirt. She headed downstairs at around ten after finding Jane already gone. Before she even made it all the way down, she could tell the whole bottom floor was a bustle of energy. People weren't exactly running around like crazy, but there was a definite hurry in the air. She stopped just a few steps short of the ground floor and looked around, hoping to spot a familiar face. To her delight, the first person that caught her eye was Will. He was talking to someone holding a box and gesturing with his hands, obviously giving the man instructions. Lizzy slipped through the crowd and came up behind him.

"-freeze them?" the man holding the box asked.

"No, no. They'll need to thaw just a bit. Put them in the refrigerator- ask Len which one." Will answered, still not seeing Lizzy.

"Yes, sir." the man nodded, then hurried away.

"Ohh 'sir'. I keep forgetting you're such a big shot, Mr. Darcy" Lizzy teased, smiling when Will turned around with a surprised look on his face.

"Hey, you." he said, smiling widely.

"Morning." she replied. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, Jane and Charles cut out kind of early, I think they went to have breakfast in town, and Caroline has Georgiana trailing her, as they finish up some last minute decorations." Will said with a wary smile. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat." Lizzy replied.

"Great, why don't we-" Will was cut off as another worker approached him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Darcy- they're having trouble with the stoves. They Chef's going a little crazy, sir." he said and Will sighed.

"Tell him I'll be right there." he said, then turned back to Lizzy. "I'm sorry, I have to-"

"Don't worry about it. I'll get out of you're hair." Lizzy smiled. "See you later?"

"I'm counting on it." he grinned. "Head over to the resort for breakfast if you like. The party doesn't start until one, so you have some time to kill."

"I think I can amuse myself in a world class resort for a few hours." Lizzy teased.

"I had a feel you might be able to." Will bantered back before someone called his name. "See you soon." he said, running a hand from her shoulder down to her elbow in a quick caress.

They parted then, Lizzy making her way outside and Will heading towards the kitchens.

It wasn't that far from the Darcy private quarters to the main Pemberley resort, but the weather had turned hot and Lizzy had over dressed in her long black jeans. After eating breakfast in the cool air-conditioned restaurant, Lizzy was hesitant to walk back so soon. She wondered around the resort for a while, but eventually decided to go back so she could at least change her clothes. Maybe Jane would be back, and she could ask how the night with Charles went.

'No need to ask how the night ended, however.' Lizzy thought to herself with a grin. She wouldn't tease her sister about what she saw - Jane would be too embarrassed to take any humor in it- especially if she knew that Will had witnessed the scene as well.

It was half past twelve when she got back and, to Lizzys surprise, the whole bottom floor was deserted, save from Jane, Charles, Georgiana and Caroline sitting in the living room.

"Hey all." Lizzy greeted, claiming a seat next to Georgiana. Everyone greeted her in turn. "Where is everyone?"

"Will is giving them his last minute 'does-anyone-have-any-questions' speech." Georgiana replied just before Will himself walked into the room.

"I think we're all set." he announced as he took the last remaining seat- next to Caroline, who immediately perked up.

"You poor dear, you must be exhausted." Caroline cooed to him.

Lizzy grinned, about to make a comment when Jane caught her eye and gave her a look, apparently making an effort to get along with Charles sister. Lizzy just rolled her eyes, but kept her tongue in check.

"The guests should be arriving soon." Will ignored Caroline, giving Lizzy a funny look. "Aren't you hot in that?"

"Aw Will, you think I'm hot? I'm flattered." Lizzy teased, earning laughs from everyone but Will and Caroline, the former who was blushing, and the latter who was scowling.

"I meant," he said, feigning frustration, "That long black pants are probably going to be uncomfortable in this weather."

"Oh." Lizzy, in response, feigned disappointment. "Yes, actually you do have a point. I think I'm going to go change."

"I'll come with you." Jane said, and the two sisters made their way up to their rooms.

* * *

It wasn't long after that the first of the guests arrived. Will was too busy greeting everyone to notice that Lizzy hadn't come back down. When he got a chance, a half hour after she went up, Will realized that only Jane had returned. Instead of questioning her sister, Will slipped upstairs in search of her.

"Elizabeth?" he asked, knocking on her half open door, not wanting another lecture on sneaking up on her.

"Come on in." she replied.

He walked in and saw her sitting on her bed, looking over a laptop, still in the same clothes.

"I thought you were coming up here to change." Will asked.

"I did." Lizzy relied, then looked down at herself. "Er, I mean I will. I have some clothes picked out, I just got hit by inspiration, and I wanted to..." Lizzy trailed off, typing something down.

"Oh." Will said, not knowing what to think.

"Don't sound like that. I'm coming down. Just give me a minute, okay?" she asked, looking up at him with a smile that he had no choice but to return.

"Okay, I'll see you down there." he replied, heading out when she just nodded, turning back to the computer.

After another half hour passed, however, Will made his way back up.

Will found still her sitting on her bed, still working on her laptop.

"Are you ready?" he asked dubiously. She was still dressed in her jeans and T-shirt and didn't look as if she'd moved at all since the last time he was here.

"In a minute." She replied distractedly. Her face hadn't left the screen since he'd walked in, and after her reply she began typing furiously on the keyboard.

Will sighed at her lack of attention. Deciding to make himself comfortable, he perched on the arm of the loveseat, his feet dangling off the side.

Five minutes passed with just the sound of her fingers pounding away until Will decided she'd forgotten he was even there.

"Elizabeth?" he asked, but got no response.

"Lizzy?" Will tried again.

She finally looked up from the computer to scrunch her nose at him. "Did you just call me Lizzy?"

Will had only been trying to get her attention, but now that he had it he got sidetracked with her question. "Well, it's what everyone calls you, isn't it?"

"Yeah but…" she shook her head. "Only my friends."

Will looked slightly hurt at this statement and Lizzy hurried to explain herself. "I mean…" But she didn't know _how_ to explain. How was she supposed to tell him that every time her full name passed his lips she felt it like a caress?

When she hesitated at explaining, Will looked away, eyes downcast. Lizzy sighed at her inability to express what she meant. She decided to do the next best thing. Standing, she crossed to him and stood between his legs to get as close as possible.

"I like when you call me Elizabeth." She whispered to him, caressing his cheek

Unexpectedly, he looked up and grinned. "I know you do." His arm snaked around her waste and he leaned his forehead against hers.

Lizzy was caught between two emotions. Pleasure at his touch and to find he wasn't really upset and curiosity at why he pretended to be. Then it dawned on her. "You little sneak. You were just trying to get me to stop working." She accused, pulling back away from him.

Will laughed, then sobered and tried to look guilty. "Me?" he questioned, sounding hurt that she'd even suggested it.

"I'm so not falling for that." She said. Will gave her a look. "…again." She added, smiling.

"Come on, Elizabeth. You promised you'd come down." Will reminded her, taking her hands in his.

Lizzy sighed, looking back at her computer. "I'm really on a roll." She said, then turned back to see Wills disappointed look. "But I guess I could use a break."

"Are you sure?" he asked, trying to mask his enthusiasm.

Endeared at his eagerness for her company, she dropped his hands to impulsively reach up and ran her's through his hair. "Yeah, I'm sure. Give me a chance to change though, huh?"

Will looked at her suspiciously. "I am so not falling for that again." He echoed her words back at her. Lizzy laughed and Will couldn't help but smile at the sound.

"I mean it this time." She assured him. "I promise." She said when he still looked doubtful.

"Okay. But if you're not out there in ten minutes, I'm coming back and carrying you out." He warned and Lizzy smiled.

"That should cause some nice gossip." She said and he gave her a lopsided grin in return.

"I'll risk it."

* * *

Lizzy changed into some white shorts and a dark blue sleeveless top, fixed her hair so the top layer was pulled back out of her eyes and held with a clip while the rest lay unbound. She was out in the main part of the house in nine minutes and thirty seconds.

She immediately sought out Will, who was chatting with a man she didn't recognize. She held back, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, but made eye contact with Will to let him know she'd kept her promise and that bodily force wasn't necessary.

He smiled so widely at her appearance that she blushed and turned away, pleased. When she did, she spotted Georgiana standing by Caroline and another woman. Georgiana seemed to be listening to their conversation, but not really joining in so Lizzy made her way over to her.

"Hey Georgiana." Lizzy greeted.

"Hey Lizzy." Georgiana returned, smiling more openly. Lizzy was glad to see Georgiana relaxing in her company.

"Oh Eliza." Caroline said in a way of greeting. "Isn't this a surprise."

"Is it? I was pretty sure you were there when Jane and I were invited." Lizzy replied.

"Yes well, not everyone pays attention to things involving you and your dear sister." Caroline said pleasantly, shooting a sly smile at her friend.

"Oh, that wasn't why I thought you'd heard. It was just that Will was the one who invited us and I know how much you… pay attention when he speaks." Lizzy said, equally pleasant.

A shocked sort of silence fell upon the three women. Caroline looked like she couldn't believe what Lizzy had just implied. So, for that matter, did Georgiana, though she looked more like she wanted to laugh than to tell Lizzy off.

But Caroline merely looked at Lizzy with disdain and said, "I don't believe I have the pleasure of understanding you." Then, before Lizzy could reply, turned to her companion and said, "Come Amelia, I think I've spotted Rodger." And the two women took off.

"Well, that was nice." Lizzy said with satisfaction.

"I _cannot_ _believe_ you just said that to Caroline." Georgiana said with awe in her voice. "I mean, of course everyone _knows_ that she's obsessed with Will, but no one actually ever _says_ it to her."

"Well then I'm glad I was the first. Serves her right, and maybe now she'll learn how to say my name." Lizzy laughed.

"What did you just do to Caroline?" Will's amused voice came up from behind the girls and they turned to face him.

"Me? Do?" Lizzy asked innocently.

Will gave her a look, and then glanced over at where Caroline was now seething across the room.

"Yes, you. You walk over here and a minute later she goes flying as far away from you as she can get." He explained with humor in his voice.

"Why Mr. Darcy - have you been spying on me this whole time?" Lizzy asked, with false surprise.

"Don't change the subject." He dodged the question. "You said something to her, didn't you?"

Lizzy glanced at Georgiana who was watching their exchange with amusement.

"I don't believe I have the pleasure of understanding you." She said and the girls broke out into giggles.

Will looked at them incredulously. "Elizabeth-"

"Will, sometimes girls need to keep _some_ of their secrets. It adds to the mystery." Lizzy patted his shoulder, then took Georgiana's arm. "Come, Georgiana, I think I've spotted Rodger."

This just caused Georgiana to erupt into more giggles while Lizzy led her away. When they had taken a few steps, Lizzy glanced back and winked at Will before turning back to walk with Georgiana.

Will couldn't believe this was his shy and reserved sister, laughing out loud and willingly leaving his side to be with a stranger. Well, not really a stranger. Elizabeth and Georgiana had gotten to know each other that day at the beach and then more so during and after dinner last night. Obviously Elizabeth had worked the same magic on his sister that she'd worked on him. Will smiled.

* * *

Where's the present I promised? The fact that I updated- that's the present ….. no, no, I'm jk. J

The present is in the next chap (not to mention the fact that there _is_ a next chap.) So go, go - read!

Wait- don't forget to review, if you can contain yourself from reading the next chapter for a second… hello?… anyone? ;)


	14. More partying

_Terbear, Harumscarum, SjDarcy, Sweet-Dreamrose, Smiling4eva, Jacquese, Jacquianne, Sobee1982, Riotgirllina, Blossom1098, Randomisation, PLZ:) Mara look-a-like, Dolphin Dreamer, Farola, Beth, Musafa, Icyblossom3, Dee, Shadowsndust, Cancat90, Teengirl01, Gentileschi, Kristin, Palomino, Sophie, Kate, T'PeeJ, Esto, Viggolady, Cries In Vain, Sobee1982 _

THANK YOU!! I'm so glad you guys liked chapt and thanks for giving me little nudges to make me update. And for those of you requesting more Lizzy/Will moments- chapt 13 and 14 were for you :D

(This is the new revised chapt 14 – waist and not waste!) :)

Okay, just to warn you, it gets bumped up to... well, pg-13 should be safe enough.

And, without any delay - _at all_ - I give you….

* * *

Chapter Fourteen  
_More partying_

An hour and ten cheese and crackers later, Lizzy began searching the room for Will. After she'd walked away with his sister, they hadn't had much chance to talk. It seemed Will was the 'it' man at the party and everybody wanted their five minutes with him.

She finally spotted him across the room, listening while someone, who looked around her age, talk animatedly to him. Will looked interested, but Lizzy would bet money that his eyes would have that glazed look if she got close enough to see.

"Nice party, huh?" a voice pulled her out of her Will-watching and she turned to see a nice looking man, probably a few years older than she, smiling down at her.

"Yes, very nice." she replied after a slight pause.

"Do you know the family?" He inquired politely as he grabbed a wine glass from a passing waiter.

Despite his seemingly innocent question, Lizzy knew he was really asking. '_Are you important enough to talk to?'_

"Yes, a little. My sister and I are staying with them for awhile." Lizzy answered.

"Are you?" he asked, slightly surprised. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Jack. Jack Taggart." He introduced himself, holding out his hand, palm up.

"Liz." Lizzy replied, awkwardly putting her hand in his and trying not to squirm as he brought it up to kiss.

"Liz...?" he question, thankfully releasing her hand.

"Just Liz." she smiled slightly and he nodded.

"I don't believe I've seen you before. Is this the first Darcy Party you've been to?" He asked, turning from the room so he faced her fully.

"Yes, actually. I've only recently become acquainted with Will." she replied.

"Will?" he question with a curious look.

"Er- Fitz. Sorry." Lizzy remembered belatedly that no one else called him by the name he'd introduced himself to her with.

"And you're already staying with the family? I'm surprised- The Darcy's are usually more... reserved than that." Jack replied. Lizzy narrowed her eyes at his description of her new friends. "I'm sorry. It may sound callous, but I've known the family a little longer than you. I went to school with Fitz, you see."

The little irritation with him grew to full dislike at that simply statement. It was just yesterday that Will had told her how hard he'd had it at school, because everyone thought he'd been too proud for them. Only Charles looked past the rumors and his shyness to become his friend.

"I see." Lizzy replied tightly, searching the room again for Will. She'd lost him in the few minutes she spent talking with Jack.

"And now I've upset you." he replied with an easy laugh. "I'm sorry to report badly on you're new friends, but it might be better in the long run."

Lizzy's only reply was a tight lipped smile that she was sure looked more like a grimace.

"Say, let me make it up to you with a dance." he offered, setting his drink down on a passing waiters tray. "What do you say?"

Lizzy was spared having to answer by someone coming up and slapping Jack on the shoulder. "There you are.." The unknown man said.

"Henry." Jack turned with a grin. "Excuse me a sec, Liz, this'll just take a minute." he said with a backward glance at her.

"Take your time." she replied with relief.

Lizzy walked out to the back patio, the last place Will could be, as soon as Jacks back was turned. Jane and Charles were deep in conversation, as were Caroline and Georgiana, though the latter didn't look too into the discussion. Not wanting another confrontation with Caroline, and with a silent prayer that he was alone, Lizzy sought out Will. Her last hope was laying out, alone and wearing nothing but swimmer trunks.

Lizzy guessed he'd had them underneath his clothes, and just stripped down to them to swim. In fact, it looked like he had just recently went for a dunk in the pool, as his hair was darker and slightly flat. After enjoying the view for a moment, she walked over to him.

"Heya Stranger." She greeted, claiming the lawn chair next to him.

Will opened one eye at her greeting and, seeing it was her, smiled. "Shhh…" he whispered, closing his eyes again. "I'm pretending to be asleep."

Lizzy laid back in her own seat and followed suit. "Why are you pretending to be asleep?" she whispered back.

"Caroline met an old friend- an old _married_ friend- in town today." Will said, as if that explained it.

"And…" Lizzy prompted with a smile.

"_And_ if I have to hear any more about how great a match they made and how better her life is now, I'm afraid I may do something drastic." Will warned.

"Oh. Well, I don't think you're going to like what I have to say, then." Elizabeth said hesitantly.

Will cocked an eye at her again. "Why? Did you meet an old married friend in town today?" he wondered humorously.

"No." she smiled. "But I did meet an old friend. One of yours, Jack Taggart?"

Will lost his humorous smile; he even opened both eyes and sat up a little. "You talked to Jack?" he asked, tense.

"I think it would be more accurate to say Jack talked to me." Lizzy replied.

"What did he say?" Will asked.

"Nothing much. Wanted to know who I was, how I knew you." she frowned at the memory. "I didn't like him."

Will sat up fully. "You'd be one of the few who didn't. Jack was _the _guy at school. I'm also pretty sure he started the talk about me being too proud for my own good."

"He seems the type. Obnoxious ass." Lizzy said, taking offense. Will smiled.

"I don't know what he's doing here, though. I invite pretty much the whole town, but he usually doesn't show up." Will remarked, running a towel through his hair.

"Probably doesn't want to be left out. I have the feeling he's used to being the center of attention." Lizzy replied, resisting the urge to run her hands through his mused hair.

"Was he..." Will hesitated, fiddling with the towel. "I mean he wasn't bothering you, was he?"

Lizzy gave a kind of shrug. "Not really. He asked me to dance."

"Oh." Will said, his face way to neutral. "What did you say?"

"Didn't get the chance to say anything, some guy walked up and needed to talk to him." Lizzy replied. She knew she was dragging this out for him, but she wanted to see his reaction. Was it her, or was he acting slightly... jealous?

"Oh." He said, breaking eye contact. "Well, what are you going to when he comes looking for you?"

"Hmm... maybe you could distract him while I get away?" she asked, smiling as he made eye contact again. She could tell he was pleased and relieved by her reaction, and it seemed as if he became more relaxed.

"And what do I get out of this deal?" Will asked, a mischievous smile on her face. Lizzy should have seen it coming with that smile.

She thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up dramatically. "I'll be your best friend." she offered. Will had trouble keeping a straight face.

"I _have_ a best friend." He reminded her.

"Yes well," Lizzy paused to glance and Charles and Jane. "As _your _best friend and _my_ best friend are quickly becoming…"

"Best friends?" Will offered.

"Exactly. You seem to be lacking in that department." She informed him.

"As do you, apparently." He pointed out.

"See how it works out for everyone?" she asked, sounding as if she'd discovered something ingenious.

"What about…" he looked down, pretending to think about it. "A kiss?"

His eyes, which met hers in a piecing gaze, set shivers up and down her back.

"A kiss?" she lost her confident smile.

"Sure. Seems fair." His eyes didn't lose their intensity, but she now saw a mischievous glint in them.

"Well…." she said slowly, pretending to think about it; though she had her answer as soon as he asked. "I-"

"There you are!" Jack, once again, popped out of nowhere. "Thought I'd lost you."

"No such luck." Elizabeth mumbled under her breath. Jack was oblivious, but Will, who was close enough to catch it, smiled.

"Oh. Hey Fitz, I didn't see you there." Jack said with a somewhat superior smile.

"Hey, Jack. Been awhile." Will replied tersely.

"Yeah. I was just telling Liz here how we were old school chums. Of course, we ran in very different circles." Jack laughed.

"I can imagine." Lizzy jumped in before Will could reply. "Will was valedictorian, in the Literary Society, the Math Honor society, National honor society, and Captain of the soccer team. And you were... on the football team?" Lizzy asked.

"Captain of the football team." he said with small frown. "And President of the student body, if we're going to list all of our high-school accomplishments." he added, once again smiling.

"Hmm... I was never really into football. And I always thought the student body government was always a popularity contest." Lizzy said innocently.

"Is this a great party or what?" Jack said, obviously changing the subject. "They're starting the dancing inside - what do you say Liz?" He was appraising her openly and she felt her skin crawl.

"Sorry." Will said to Jack, pulling on his shorts over his now dry bathing suit and holding his hand out to her. "But I promised to show Elizabeth some artwork I've just acquired."

Elizabeth grasped Wills hand gratefully and let him pull her off the chair.

"Sorry." She echoed to Jack, trying to sound like she was. "Maybe I'll catch you when I come back."

Jack had looked irritated at Will's announcement, but he was positively shocked when Lizzy followed Will out.

"I go through all that trouble to get you away from him and you promise him a dance anyway?" Will pretended to be affronted as he led Elizabeth through the house.

"Hey- I said _maybe_ I'd see him- _when_ _I come back_, which I don't plan on doing." She clarified.

"Wait." He stopped her in the hallway. "You're ditching me?"

"It's either that or come back to Mr. Captain of the football team back there. Keep moving." She replied, pulling his hand to get him going again.

They had weaved through the main crowd, but the more Will led her into the twisting hallways, the less people they ran into.

"How did you know all that stuff about me?" Will asked curiously and Lizzy grinned a little shyly.

"I snooped. I was wondering around this morning and I found an old year book in the study." she admitted.

"Well," he said, stopping at a closed door. "You defended my honor admirably."

"Ah, it was nothing." she shrugged, smiling up at him.

"For you - One quiet, private 'getaway' room, as promised. " Will said, opening the door they were standing next to as he let her precede him into a grand library.

"Oh Will…" Was all she could say at first as she took in all the books. "This is amazing."

The whole room was covered, top to bottom, with bookcases filled with books. There was a large desk towards the back and a fireplace with a curved couch in front of it. She saw a locked cabinet near the back of the room with very old looking books in them and near it was an old fashioned looking rolling ladder. As she got a closer look, she saw that the bookcases were made of a thick dark wood and that the farther back into the room you went, the older the books.

He leaned comfortably against the door, watching her with a pleased smile on his face as she walked all around the room, glancing at titles as she went.

"You like it?" he asked unnecessarily.

"I _love_ it." She replied truthfully, and then turned back to him. "Although I don't think I'll be able to get much work done here."

"Why?" he asked, glancing around the room for the problem.

"I'd be too tempted to read everything in sight." She told him with a smile and turned back to allow her eyes to roam over the bookcases again.

"Well, you're welcome to read everything in sight, if you like. Or I could find another room, if this one is too distracting." Will offered.

"No, this will be fine." She assured him and walked back to his side. "Thanks, Will."

"Thanks?" he questioned, standing up straight and reaching a hand out to cup her cheek now that she was close enough. "Thanks wasn't what we agreed upon." He reminded her with a cheeky grin.

"Agreed? I don't remember agreeing to anything." She replied with a straight face, but didn't move away from his touch.

"It was implied when you came with me." He informed her.

Elizabeth's heart was beating so wildly in her chest that she wouldn't be surprised if he could hear it; but Will, despite his hand running down to her neck and caressing the sensitive part behind her ear, had made no move to act upon his words.

She wondered at first what he was waiting for. In spite of her banter, she had been fully willing to kiss him again, but now it looked like all he wanted to do was stare into her eyes with… a questioning gaze? That didn't see right.

Then it hit her. For all his seemingly overconfidence and daring on demanding a kiss from her, he was not willing to steal it. He wanted to make sure he wasn't forcing something she thought she owed him onto her.

Her heart swelled with emotion at this realization and without hesitation, she raised herself on her toes and brushed his lips with hers. Before she could pull back fully to gauge his reaction, he'd slide his free arm around her waist to keep her close and bent down to recapture her lips.

Like their previous kisses, Elizabeth felt her blood pound though her veins like liquid fire. What had started out as a small, almost innocent kiss had soon deepened into a full-blown make out session. Will's lips, which were at first soft and gentle, now kissed her with passion. When Lizzy parted her lips, inviting him to deepen the kiss, he did so without hesitation and they simultaneously moaned into each others mouths.

'_He tastes like dark chocolate mixed with mint_.' Lizzy thought fuzzily.

Will had unconsciously pushed her back against the wall and Elizabeth suddenly remembered that all he had on was a pair of shorts. She lost no time in taking full advantage by running her hands along his well-defined chest, shoulders and back.

"Elizabeth." He gasped into her neck when they finally broke apart.

"This is crazy." She said, more to herself than him, but couldn't make herself pull away from his warmth.

"Tell me to stop." He almost pleaded between lavishing kisses on her neck.

"Don't." she replied without hesitation and brought her hand to cup the back of his neck. "Don't stop."

The pair were breathing heavily by now, and it wasn't until the voices were almost right outside the door that they heard them. Will and Lizzy broke apart as if they had suddenly caught fire.

"I'm sure I saw them come this way." They heard Caroline say.

"It's okay, we can just ask Will when he turns up again." Georgiana's timid voice replied.

"No, no- I won't be able to put it out of my head until we have his opinion." Caroline insisted.

Lizzy tried to calm her breathing and straighten out her hair and clothes. Will knew it was pointless, though. Anyone would take one look at their disheveled appearances - not to mention the expressions on their faces- and it would be clear what they were up to.

Just when Lizzy had resigned herself to the inevitable, Will seized her hand and pulled her quickly to a bookshelf in the far corner of the room.

"What are you doing?" demanded Lizzy in a whisper.

Will shot her a confidant smile before pulling something on the side of the bookcase. To Lizzy's total and utter amazement, it swung in to reveal a dusty corridor.

Wasting no time, Will ushered Lizzy in and pushed the door until it was only open a crack.

"Wher-" she started in a normal voice, but he covered her mouth with his hand.

"Wait." He whispered, peering through the small crack.

Lizzy now heard what Will had- muffled voices in the room they just occupied. As Will was a head taller than she was, Lizzy barely had to crouch to share the crack he was looking through.

"Maybe they're in a different part of the house." Suggested Georgiana.

Lizzy guessed that if Will knew about this, then Georgiana must too. The question was, would she know this was where they had gone and, more importantly, would she rat them out to Caroline?

Caroline didn't reply at first, but Lizzy could tell she was disappointed at discovering the room empty.

"I don't see what business William would have gallivanting that Eliza around the house. It's not as if they know each other." She said, but made it sound like a question. Caroline evidently thought Georgiana knew more about their relationship and she wanted answers.

Both Will and Elizabeth stiffened at the implications in her words.

"Lizzy. _Liz-zee_. How hard is that to say?" Lizzy whispered. She felt rather than heard Will's laugh behind her.

"I like Lizzy." Georgiana said, uncharacteristically bold. Lizzy inwardly cheered.

"Do you?" Caroline asked, sounding falsely pleasant. She was shocked, Lizzy could tell, but she also didn't risk getting on Georgiana's bad side, not when Caroline thought the way to Will was through his sister.

"I feel as if I've just be dropped in the middle of a mystery book- or a soap opera, I don't know which." Lizzy whispered humorously.

Will stifled his laugh, but when Lizzy turned to grin at him it was like trying not to laugh in church. Though you don't know exactly why you're laughing so hard- you can't for the life of you stop.

And now Lizzy caught the bug. Before they both blew their cover, Will again grabbed her hand and pulled her deeper into the dark hallway.

When they were safely away, in case Caroline and Georgiana were still in the Library, Lizzy and Will fell against the walls, busting with laughter.

"It's so dark in here." Lizzy said, breathless from laughter when they had regained control of themselves. Dark was an understatement. They were far enough down that they couldn't even see the small light the doorway had given off and now Lizzy could see nothing but blackness. "Will, where are you?"

Their hands were somehow still locked, so Lizzy pulled him to her.

"Here." He murmured, now close enough that she felt his breath against her cheek.

"Hey." She said softly, still smiling.

"Hey." His baritone voice sounded even deeper in the empty, echoing hallway.

"How cool is it that you have a secret passageway in your house?" she asked, letting his hand go so both of hers were free to run lightly up his chest and rest on his shoulders.

"A secret, dusty passageway." He chuckled, brushing her arm in an attempt to remove dirt he couldn't see in the pitch-blackness of the hallway. His touch soon turned into a caress as he ran his hand slowly up and down her arm.

"Doesn't Caroline know about this?" she asked, speaking into his neck. Her eyes were adjusting slowly, but was still not really able to see him.

"What- us?" Will asked in reply. In such close proximity with Elizabeth, he couldn't exactly think straight.

"No," He couldn't see the smile, but he could hear it in her voice. "About _this_. This secret place where you bring girls you're trying to seduce."

"Caroline wouldn't know of _anyplace_ I brought gorgeous," he punctured this word with a soft kiss to the side of her face. "Smart," this with a kiss to her neck. "Sexy," his voice was almost a growl as he kissed her chin.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth tried for serious but ruined it with a giggle.

"Are you sure about that?" he questioned, lips inches from hers.

"Mmm… almost sure." She replied before leaning up to met him.

Whereas their last kiss started slow but quickly heated up, this one started slow and stayed slow, though it didn't lack the passion and heat of their previous kisses.

Lizzy hands were immediately active again, running down along his back and up to his shoulders. Will grasped her waist with his hands and slowly inched them under her shirt. When it registered a few minutes later in her passion-fogged mind that she could feel his bare hands running up and down her own back, she instinctively pushed him away.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, confused and breathing heavily.

"Maybe we should go back to the party." Lizzy managed to say, pulling her shirt straight.

She heard him take a deep, steadying breath. "That's probably a good idea."

He stepped back from her and took another deep breath before reaching for her hand. He caught her wrist, but soon he had her hand in his once more before he began to lead her back the way they came.

When they came to the false bookcase, the crack was thinner than Lizzy remembered. She didn't hear any voices though, and was glad they didn't have to wait for the room to empty before emerging from their hiding spot.

She could see Will now, shadowed but visible. He reached up and pulled on the door, but it barely budged.

"It gets stuck sometimes." He explained in a nonchalant voice. He dropped her hand and pulled with both of his, but the door didn't move.

"It's a good thing I'm not afraid of getting stuck in dark places." Lizzy said humorously.

Will turned back to face her, a grin on his face. "I'd be very surprised if you were afraid of _anything_, Elizabeth." He said with admiration.

Lizzy hoped the light wasn't well enough for him to see the blush on her face. She looked down to hide it anyway, but she was smiling.

Lizzy jumped when she felt Will's hand cup her chin and bring her face up to meet his gaze again.

"And I'll never understand how unused to compliments you are." He said with wonder in his voice.

"I was a tomboy growing up, Will. Once the guys see you as one of them, it's not like they're going to go out of their way to tell you how great you are. Besides…" Lizzy hesitated before continuing. "I was Jane Bennets little sister. She's the beauty in the family."

"Jane?" Will's surprise was evident. "Well, she's pretty." He said in an offhanded manor. "But Elizabeth… you're beautiful."

Lizzy didn't think anyone had told her she was beautiful. She's been cute, hot, pretty, and sexy even, but if anyone's ever called her beautiful, she couldn't remember and certainly not with the awe in their voice that Will's had.

"So wait - you think _Jane's_ pretty and _I'm_ beautiful? Most people see it the other way around." Lizzy joked to hide her feelings, but Will didn't banter back as she'd expected.

"Elizabeth, you've got this… this energy about you that just demands attention. And you get this look in your eyes when something amuses you that just lights up your whole face." He smiled as his eyes roamed her face. "And the most beautiful, expressive eyes I've ever seen. Sometimes I think I knew exactly what you thinking, but sometimes you close yourself up and I have no idea." He said, sounding amused and frustrated at the same time.

"Will…" Lizzy was so touched she was on the verge of tears.

"I can't believe no ones ever told you this before." He sounded astonished.

"I told you - Jane was always the beauty." Lizzy replied through her tightening throat.

"I don't want to say anything bad about your sister, so I'll just leave it at this- not only are you more beautiful than she is, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met." Will said with such sincerity in his voice that the tears finally broke from her control and fell silently down her face.

Lizzy turned away from him to wipe them away and Will put his hands on her shoulders, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"You don't have to hide from me, Elizabeth. I'm not going to think any less of you if you act…" Will faltered and Lizzy laughed through her tears.

"Act girly?" she asked, still faced away from him.

"Act feminine." He corrected. "And no matter how hard you tried to hide it, you _are_ feminine." He told her, running his hands down her arms and around her waist so he encased her. "A fact I'm very glad of."

Lizzy sighed, leaning back against his chest. "Will, you just can't say those kinds of things to a girl. Especially to _this_ girl."

"Why not?" he asked, perplexed.

She didn't answer, but took him by surprise when she turned suddenly in his arms and kissed him soundly. '_Because she'll fall in love with you_.' She thought to herself.


	15. Hey Jealousy

_Dolphin Dreamer, Michelle, Sobee1982, Rxc, Sophie, Cancat90, Dee, ;) , Missusmesser, Solo-girl-br, LawisJustice, Melissa, Micheped, Riotgirllina, Randomisation, Sweet-Dreamrose, Shadowsndust, Gentileschi,_

I'm so glad you like 13 and 14 (Because I had **_so much fun_** writing them!)

Ha! I updated in _less than _a month:)

Seriously though, thanks for all your **great **reviews - esp pointing out the waste/waist things. I totally didn't notice it when I was proof reading, so I really appreciate you guys pointing it out. Also- just so you know- I fixed it right away! (When I got the first couple of reviews telling me about it) But messed up or something because it never changed. It said "Chapter content successfully updated/replaced." but it wasn't! I'm mostly mad about it because I didn't want you guys to think I was ignoring you. So, I thought I'd let you know, and I'm going to try and change it again.

I also added my thanks to all the previous chapter reviewers (like I do every chapter, but which I forgot on 13) I can't believe I forgot you guys! I really love all the reviews I get (as I'm sure the writers out there can understand) So JIC it doesn't work again, I'll say my thanks here as well...

(To everyone who reviewed chap 12, but who I forgot to thank when I posted 13) :

_Terbear, Harumscarum, SjDarcy, Sweet-Dreamrose, Smiling4eva, Jacquese, Jacquianne, Sobee1982, Riotgirllina, Blossom1098, Randomisation, PLZ:) Mara look-a-like, Dolphin Dreamer, Farola, Beth, Musafa, Icyblossom3, Dee, Shadowsndust, Cancat90, Teengirl01, Gentileschi, Kristin, Palomino, Sophie, Kate, T'PeeJ, Esto, Viggolady, Cries In Vain, Sobee1982 _

THANK YOU!! I'm so glad you guys liked chapt and thanks for giving me little nudges to make me update. And for those of you requesting more Lizzy/Will moments- chapt 13 and 14 were for you :D

Also- just so you know- I finished this last night, but I finally contained myself long enough to really go through and proof read the chap to make sure of any mistakes. So, if you find any, be sure to tell me about it so I can smack myself on the forehead ;)

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**  
_Hey Jealousy_

"There's another way out down here." Will said, grasping Lizzy's hand and leading her back through the pitch-black corridors. "We'll come out into the study."

"Don't you think people are going to start missing you soon?" Lizzy asked after another short lapse in silence.

"Probably." Will answered simply. "But," he turned to smile, though she couldn't see. "I think it was worth it."

She grinned in response, silently agreeing.

"Here we are." He said. She wondered how he could tell, but trusted he knew what he was talking about. He must have explored all these corridors when he was younger.

Lizzy heard a thump, and then a grunt from Will before the light blinded her eyes, which had become adjusted to the darkness for so long. They both stepped out, blinking and brushing off the dust and cobwebs from their clothes and hair.

"Well, that was fun." She said humorously, shaking her head to assure the last of the dust was off her.

"There's a path that leads down to the beach- the only way to get to a part of the beach without trying to kill yourself from climbing the rocks down. I'll show it to you sometime." Will told her, reaching up to brush her hair back before she got the chance.

"That would be awesome." Lizzy said enthusiastically. Will smiled at her eagerness.

"The party should be winding down about now. Maybe we could go see a movie, or something." Will suggested. Lizzy bit her lip.

"I'd love to…" she said hesitantly.

"But?" Will prompted.

"The reporters will still be hanging around. Probably waiting at the gates for a chance to get me again. I don't think it's such a good idea to head out until this blows over a little." She said regretfully.

"I understand. We can still do something, though, right?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure. What do you want to do?" Lizzy asked, leaning against the desk.

"Well, why don't we just use the mini-theater at Pemberley?" Will suggested. "No one will bother you over there."

"Are you sure?" Lizzy asked him.

"Trust me, Elizabeth." Will said calmly, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. Much too quick for Lizzy's taste. "Pemberley has never been as secure as it is now."

"You call _this _secure?" a voice asked from the doorway that faced out to the beach. Both pairs of eyes turned to see the speaker- a good looking, twenty-something man in the process of taking off heavy sunglasses. He had short, dark hair that was highlighted at the tips. He was tall and deep chested, but still fell an inch or two shorter than Will. "I felt safer at that club we mistook for a crack house."

"Bobby!" Lizzy squealed, breaking away from Will to run to him.

"Lizard!" He laughed, catching her in a hug and swinging her around. Will scowled.

"What are you doing here? How'd you get in?" she asked, stepping back to regain her balance.

"You asked me to come, didn't you?" Bobby replied innocently, then took her by the shoulders and made a show of looking her over. He whistled, long and low. "What did you _do _to yourself?" he asked, obviously highly amused.

She gave him a fake scowl, shrugging off his hands. "I didn't _do _anything- this is how I normally look."

"But... you look like a _girl_." he said. Will's scowl deepened, but Lizzy just smiled.

"That's what I am, half-wit." she crossed her arms.

"Yeah, but today you _look _it." He said predictably. "'Sides… you're not usually so…" he reached over to swipe at her neck, then made a show of examining his fingers. "Dusty."

She blushed slightly. "It's a long story."

He grinned in response, dimples showing. He turned to Will, who didn't lesson his cold look. "I suppose this is the boyfriend, huh?"

"Bobby." Lizzy's voice now held a warning in it as she led him closer to Will. "Will, this is Bobby, the band mate I told you about. Bobby, Will."

"Fitzwilliam Darcy, nice to finally meet you." Bobby said gallantly, as the pair shook hands.

"Likewise." Will said coolly.

"Band mate?" Bobby asked, turning to Lizzy to feign hurt. "That's all I am to you, little sister?"

Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Well, lets see. We're in a band together, so…"

"Oh!" Bobby clutched his heart. "A few months apart and she forgets what we mean to each other."

"A few months apart and he becomes totally emotionally dependant." Lizzy quipped back.

"So." he started, throwing an arm around Lizzy shoulder. "You going to make an honest woman out of my little sister, here?"

"Robert!" Lizzy scolded, once again tossing his arm off her. Bobby just laughed. "You are so not being cute right now."

"Bobby!" Jane exclaimed, and the trio turned to see her and Charles enter the room. "I thought that was you."

"Hey there little sister. Come give me some lovin'" he said, holding his arms out. She smiled and walked over to hug him. "How you doin'?" he asked lightly.

"I'm fine." She said, with an indulgent smile. "You remember Charles, don't you?"

"Sure. Hey man." Bobby held out a hand to shake.

"Hey. I didn't know you were coming." Charles said, a friendly smile on his face.

"Yeah, well, you know how it is. Lizard kept begging me to come, can't live without me, this one." He said, grinning as he tossed an arm around her.

"Ha!" she scoffed, shrugging out of his grasp once again. "I'm _so_ sure. And this has nothing to do with the fact that Jane and I were vacationing at a tropical Island resort, spending our days on the beach, while you were home. In Georgia. With you parents."

Bobby smiled. "Do you really want to have this conversation again?" he asked reaching in his back pocket to pull out a magazine clipping. He held it up so the room could see.

It was a clipping of the article on Liz and Will. Most prominent was the picture of them kissing- or at least that's what it looked like from this angle. Liz grabbed it out of his hand and crumbled it in hers, red faced.

"You keep that in your _pocket_?" she asked incredulous.

"I like to be prepared." He laughed. "And hey, give that back, I wanted to get it autographed and framed."

"Bobby." Jane got his attention before Lizzy could reply, stalling their fight. "Where are you staying?"

"In town." He said reaching around Lizzy to where she was holding the now crumbled paper out of his reach. "Lampton Inn."

"Isn't that place crawling with the press?" Lizzy asked, struggling to keep the paper away from him. It wasn't any good anyway; she'd crumbled and torn it beyond recognition. Bobby was just trying to get it on principal at this point.

"You'd think so." He grunted as she elbowed him in the sternum. "But no. Seems they all followed you back here."

"Oh just take it." She sighed, pushing him out of her personal space with a hard nudge and handing over the picture. "You are such a child."

"So," he said, pocketing it with a triumphant look. "When's the press conference?"

Lizzy had stepped back so she was once again leaning against the desk. She was, consequently, now standing in Will's personal space. He didn't seem to mind though, if the fact the he'd stopped scowling at Bobby was any indication.

"What press conference?" She asked.

"You know you're going to have to have one." Bobby said, taking in Will and Lizzy's closeness with a critical eye. Lizzy ignored his look and shrugged.

"I figured I'd have one when we got back home. Why should I cut into my vacation?" she asked.

"Because they won't leave you alone until you do." Jane piped in. "And when you have to leave, they'll trap you in here until you talk, or they'll trap you at the airport."

"I guess." Lizzy grunted, crossing her arms.

"You can use one of the rooms here." Will offered, finally speaking up.

"Yeah?" Lizzy asked, interested.

"Sure. I'm sure we can find a room that's adequate." He replied.

"That's settled then." Bobby said, bringing his hands together in a clap, effectively gaining the rooms attention once more. "So, how about a celebration - honoring yours truly?"

"Any excuse to party, huh?" Lizzy said with a smile, folding her arms.

"Ah, don't be such an old lady." Bobby teased back, earning an affronted look from Lizzy. He reached behind him, pulling warn looking drums sticks out of his pocket and twirling them.

"We could always get some long overdue practicing in." he suggested, wearing a mischievous grin that Lizzy didn't trust for one minute. She was about to ask him what he was up to when a voice overrode hers.

"Oh good." Everyone turned to see Caroline standing in the doorway. "You're finally here."

However surprising, it was obvious that she was defiantly _looking_ at Bobby, and so must have been talking to him as well. The room was in a kind of stunned silence- no one, except maybe Bobby himself, could figure out how Caroline knew Bobby, let alone why she was the only one who was apparently expecting him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone's waiting for you." Caroline prompted.

Lizzy turned her disbelieving gaze from Caroline and instead fastened it onto her oldest friend.

"Bobby?" She questioned. Before he could stop grinning at her shocked face long enough to answer her inquiring look, Caroline beat him to it.

"It's a little surprise for you, William. I hope you don't mind, but since we have them available, I thought out guests might enjoy live music instead of just a CD." She explained sweetly.

"You hope _he_ doesn't mind?" Lizzy asked incredulously.

"Caroline." Will said with barely controlled anger. "Elizabeth is a guest here. Just like you and Jane and Charles. You should not have presumed that she would want to perform at a party she was invited to – especially without notice."

"She didn't seem put-out last night, when you asked her to play." Caroline pouted at Will's reprimanding manner. "I didn't think she'd mind."

"You played for Will?" Bobby cut in.

"Fitz." Lizzy replied.

"This is a totally different matter all together." Will told Caroline.

"What?" Bobby asked Lizzy.

"Well, I'm afraid it's a little too late now." Caroline said, trying unsuccessfully not to smile.

"Everyone calls him Fitz." Jane, who had been standing back with Charles in silence, spoke up.

"I don't see how it can be." Will replied with a frown.

"She just called him William." Bobby gestured to Caroline.

"Everyone's already been told." Caroline said, masking her face to an innocent look that no one was buying.

"She _refuses_ to call him Fitz." Charles backed Jane up.

"Well then you'll just have to _untell_ them." Lizzy told Caroline with a scowl.

"Who, Liz?" Bobby asked.

"What?" Lizzy turned to Bobby.

"No, Caroline." Charles said.

"What?" Caroline turned to her brother.

"Liz what?" Lizzy demanded.

"You don't call Fitz by his name." Bobby said.

" 'No' what?" Caroline asked.

"I do too." Lizzy said defensively, then blinked. "What does that have to do with anything, anyway?"

"No _what_?" Caroline repeated, finally gaining her brothers attention.

"Nothing, I was talking to Bobby." Charles replied.

"Okay!" Will said in a raised voice, successfully gaining the rooms attention and silence. "Caroline, you're going to go out and tell the guests that the band has canceled, and Bobby-" Will turned to Bobby, who looked surprised at being addressed. "My name is Fitzwilliam. All of my friends call me Fitz, excluding Caroline and Elizabeth. Caroline calls me William because she thinks it fits me more, and Elizabeth calls me Will because that's what I introduced myself as."

There was a minute of silence after this speech, which was broken by Bobby saying "Oh." belatedly.

"I don't see why I should tell them the band isn't here when they obviously _are_." Caroline grumbled, not leaving the room. Will frowned again and was about to reply when Bobby cut him off.

"Ah it's okay, Will…er…_Fitz_." he said. "Liz and I don't mind, do we?"

"Yes, we do." Lizzy replied. "Is that why you're here?"

"Well, I called to let you know I was coming… security's a little tight, you know." Lizzy noted Will's smug smile with amusement. "And Caroline answered. She suggested since we were both here that we could do a little performance. It sounded like fun." Bobby confessed.

"I see." Lizzy replied tight-lipped. "Did you forget that we're one member short? All of our songs are made to include a bass player- we'll sound like crap without one."

"So we'll improvise. Do cover songs. Come on Lizard, it'll be fun." Bobby smiled charmingly. Will scowled again.

Lizzy sighed, and then looked up at Will. "What do you think?"

Will was delighted at being asked, but tried to control his features to a neutral expression. "It's been a long week. Do you feel up to it?"

Lizzy sighed again, pulling her hair back off her neck and letting it drop again. "No." she answered honestly.

"There you go, Caroline. Please inform the guests that there was a mistake." He gave her a pointed look. "And they will just have to make do with CD's."

Caroline looked ready to object, but one look from Will and she swallowed her argument and left the room.

"So much for that." Bobby said with a shrug. "I guess we'll just have to practice without an audience."

"Bobby." Lizzy said, once again stepping away from the desk she was leaning against as she put her hands on his shoulders, "I love you, but you are _such_ a handful sometimes."

Bobby grinned good-naturedly. Lizzy, with her back to Will, missed the glare he sent Bobby at her confessed of love, but Bobby read the signal loud and clear. '_This is going to be fun_.' he thought to himself.

"I got the beat in me, babe." He said, using his drumsticks to tap out a silent beat on her shoulders. "And it needs to come out."

"Now?" Lizzy whined.

"Besides," Bobby continued as if he hadn't heard her, throwing an arm around her shoulder and leading her out of the room. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."

He passed Will as he said this and he sent the other man a wink over Lizzy's head, insuring she wouldn't see it. Will went from glaring to glowering in about a second flat. Bobby grinned when they were safely out of the room. Oh yeah, this was going to be _a lot_ of fun.

* * *

Lizzy and Bobby had practiced the rest of the afternoon. The whole group- Jane, Charles, Lizzy, Will, Caroline and Georgiana- had planned on having dinner together that night; but Lizzy came to Will about an hour before they were supposed to eat to tell him she and Bobby were going to eat in town. 

They needed to catch up, she told him, feeling a little guilty at the look of disappointment in is eyes. She apologized for the late noticed, and told him she'd be back later on.

Lizzy and Bobby were out late into the night. When it was two in the morning, any conversation Will was hoping to have with her on her return was pushed back until the next day, and he went to bed.

Despite the late night, Lizzy had gotten up early and was out of the house before Will had come downstairs. At this point Will was almost sure she was avoiding him, and the thought depressed him significantly. To go from spending almost all their free time together the last couple of days to not even seeing her since early last night was disheartening.

It was apparent to Will that he had been dropped as soon as Bobby had come back into her life, and he wondered at their relationship. Lizzy had never implied that there was anymore to them than friendship between Bobby and herself, but Will wondered how accurate that was.

She was obviously happy to see him when he showed up unexpectedly. It also wasn't lost on him that she felt it too risky to go into town when he asked, but as soon as Bobby showed up she'd been spending all her time there. She'd even… she'd even said she _loved_ him. How much plainer could it get than that?

Despite what Will thought they'd shared, Lizzy had only seen their relationship as some kind of summer fling, and now that Bobby- the person she was _really_ interested in- was back in the picture, Will was pushed to the backburner.

These thoughts, and similarly depressing ones like them, went through Will's head all day as he attempted to catch up on his work. There was no one to distract him from them, either. Lizzy was out all day with Bobby; Charles was spending all his time with Jane; and Caroline and Georgiana were visiting friends in town.

Only Caroline and Georgiana made it home for dinner that night, but Jane, Charles, Lizzy and Bobby had come home almost as soon as they finished.

"It's coming along good." Will heard Lizzy's enthusiastic voice coming closer. "Even without the bass- we don't sound half bad."

"Are you going to hire a new bass?" Charles' voice asked just as they joined Will, Caroline and Georgiana in the living room.

"Hey everyone." Lizzy greeted, smiling at Will.

Despite being thrown into an almost depressive state all day, the sight of Lizzy smiling at him- and only him- raised Will's spirits completely. She came and sat down next to him on the love seat, and Will wondered what he had been so upset about all day.

"We're thinking about it." Bobby replied to Charles question, joining Jane and him on the couch. Will did his best not to glare, reminding himself that, though most of the seats were free, Lizzy came right over and choose the one next to him. "It's definitely a better sound with one that without."

"Yeah it is." Lizzy agreed. "It's just going to be such a hassle finding someone new."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, before Bobby stood up. "So, who's up for some partying?" he asked excitedly.

"Ugh, not me." Lizzy replied, sinking lower into her seat.

"Come on, Lizard." He said, pulling her up out of her seat. Will didn't even try to hide his disdainful look. "You're not getting old on me, are you?"

"If I say yes, will you leave me alone?" she asked, half heartedly slapping his hands away.

"Not a chance. Charles told me about this club. What was it called?" he asked, glancing backwards at Charles.

"109." Charles replied.

"Right. Sounds like the happening place to be. Who's in?" Bobby twirled Lizzy. "Liz?"

"I guess." She sighed, but was smiling.

"Sweet. C and J?" He asked, turning back to glance at Charles and Jane again.

"Sure." Charles replied, after looking at Jane.

"Double sweet." He turned to the couch where Caroline and Georgiana were sitting. "What about you two lovely ladies?"

"Georgiana is only sixteen." Will said coldly, before either could reply. Bobby lost his smile.

"Oh." Bobby said.

Lizzy knew what he was thinking- they could get her in, no problem. After all, Bobby and she had been going to clubs since _they_ were sixteen, so what was the big deal? She also knew the thought that followed. Will would never let his precious little sister sneak underage into a club.

"Sorry G. Well… I'm sure we can think of something else to do." Bobby said.

"Oh no." Georgiana said. "I couldn't go out, anyway. I have a lot of practicing to do still."

"Eh. I hear that." Bobby said sympathetically. "Hey, you're going to pull yourself away from your practicing tomorrow though, okay? We're all going to have a picnic or something."

"Sure." Georgiana smiled shyly.

"What about you, Fitz?" Bobby turned to face her older brother.

"I have a lot of work to do." Will said, his rotten mood returning as soon as Lizzy was pulled from his side.

Lizzy gave him a quizzical look, but didn't get a chance to question him. Caroline, to no ones surprise, declined the invitation as well and Jane pulled Lizzy upstairs so they could get ready.

Lizzy had changed into a simple black dress for the evening. It was a little more low-cut than what she was used to, but by no means inappropriate. It came down to her knees, and was loose, so when she twirled the skirt flared. She did this a few times in the mirror. Just to see what it looked like.

She had just sat down to answer some emails before they left when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in." she called, not getting up.

She was expecting Jane, or perhaps Bobby, but was surprised when Will walked in.

"Hey." He said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey." She smiled up at him. "Did you change your mind?"

"Er…no. I have a lot of work to do." He reiterated his earlier statement. "But I... wanted to have a word."

"What's up?" she asked.

"I… was wondering…." He hesitated, but got a determined look on his face before continuing. "What's up with you and Bobby?"

"Me and Bobby?" Lizzy asked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you two… involved?" Will asked, grimacing as if the very thought bothered him.

"Will, don't be ridiculous." Lizzy said, rolling her eyes. "Bobby doesn't see me that way."

"He doesn't see you that way." he repeated, frowning.

"Yeah…" Lizzy replied, bemused.

"What if he did?" he wanted to know.

"What if he liked me?" Lizzy asked, trying to keep up with whatever weird thought process Will had gotten onto.

"Yes. You keep saying he doesn't like you like that - but what if he did?" Will asked in reply.

"He doesn't." Lizzy answered, not seeing where this questioning was going.

"But if he did- would you like him?" he demanded.

"This whole jealousy thing is getting really old, really fast." she told him, tilting her head back and sighing into the ceiling.

"Why can't you answer the question?" he asked softly.

"Because it's a stupid question." Lizzy replied, frustrated.

He didn't answer, and she tilted her head back to him. She got a glance of his face- hurt and resigned, before he walked out of the room.

"Will- come on." she called after him. "Don't be like that."

After a minute, she was afraid she'd really hurt him, but decided to give him a little time to cool off. Needing some sisterly advice, she went the connecting door, hoping Charles wasn't there with her.

"Jane?" she called out, knocking as she cracked the door open. If Charles _was _there, she wanted to give plenty of warning before entering the room. Just... in case. Luckily, though, Jane was there, alone and working on her laptop.

"What's up?" she asked, turning in her chair to face Lizzy, who had plopped down on the bed with a sigh.

"I think I just had a fight with Will." she said.

"You think?" Jane asked, slightly amused.

"Well, it happened so fast, and before I knew it he had left." she replied with a frown, then retold the story. "He's being absurd, isn't he?"

"Well..." Jane hesitated, and then stood to join her sister on the bed. "Lizzy, you have to admit that you've been spending a lot of time with Bobby since he got here."

"Oh Jane, not you too. Look, he's one of my best friends, and I haven't seen him in _months_." Lizzy replied defensively.

"I know. And I know you two are close, but I also know that you and Will are starting to get close. And whenever that happens, you..." Jane trailed off, not wanting to upset her sister.

"I push people away." Lizzy finished for her in a gruff voice. "I guess I kind of have a habit with that. But-" she argued, "But I wasn't doing that to Will. I... I like Will."

"I know you do." Jane said soothingly. "But Will's not perfect. I'm sure he has some issues, just like the rest of us. And when you go from spending all your time with him to almost ignoring him completely when Bobby shows up... well, how would you feel?" Jane, in her sweet manner, had managed to ask the question without sounding like she was judging or accusing Lizzy, for which she was grateful. She was starting to feel bad enough already.

"I see your point. It's just… I mean its _Bobby_." Lizzy almost laughed.

"I know, but I've also known you two as long as you've been friends. Will's just met Bobby and probably can tell that you're close, but doesn't know how far it goes." Jane pointed out. "Anyway, you have to admit that Bobby loves to wind Will up."

Lizzy sighed deeply. "Yeah, and I've let him. I guess I screwed up kind of badly, huh?" she asked.

"No, no, of course not." Jane defended. "You'll work it out. Just talk about it." she paused. "We're leaving soon… why don't you get Will to come with us?"

"I'll try." she smiled. "Thanks, Janie."

"What are sisters for?" Jane smiled, giving her a half hug. "Now, don't let Will brood for too long."

"Eh- good idea." Lizzy replied, hoping off the bed and heading out in search of him.

* * *

"Hey, Will." She greeted, leaning against the doorway of his open office. 

"Hi." He said stiffly, not looking up from his papers. She rolled her eyes.

"Look, we're heading out soon. Why don't you come with us?" she asked, not beating around the bush.

"I've got a lot of work to do." he repeated, writing something down.

"Yeah, right." She said, and he looked up in surprise. "All of a sudden you're too busy to hang out?"

"I've been putting it off lately, and now I'm behind." He replied simply when he'd recovered his calm façade.

Since he was still looking up at her, she crossed her arms, giving him a look that said she wasn't buying it.

"I'm sure you'll be fine without me." He added, looking back down at his papers. "I'd just feel like a third wheel anyway."

Lizzy frowned, knowing she should talk him out of this funk, but not really knowing how. She'd had relationships before, of course, but none like the one with Will. With the others she could be stubborn and fight her point of view to the point of breaking up, because she didn't really care enough for them to work it out. With Will it felt more serious. That didn't mean she knew what to say to him, though.

So, fell back on what felt natural- sarcasm.

"So basically you're going to sit at home and pout while we go out and have a good time. I'm _so_ sure that sounds like more fun." She said. When he didn't answer, didn't even look up, she huffed and turned to leave when she ran, literally, into Caroline.

Lizzy was expecting a tirade of scorn about how she should have been watching where she was going but, to she surprise, Caroline just smiled.

"Have fun tonight. I'd come but…" Whether it was subconscious or on purpose, Caroline's eyes slid past Lizzy to settle on Will. "It'll be nice to have the house in peace and quiet again."

Lizzy was too angry to reply. She just scowled and stomped off; nudging Caroline non-to-gently out of her way.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Jane asked when Lizzy had returned to her room to change. 

"He is the most stubborn, insufferable, wanna be martyr I've ever met." Lizzy replied, yanking things out of her closet.

She didn't feel like wearing this stupid dress anyway. She felt much more comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt.

"That good, huh?" Jane asked. "Did you tell him about you and Bobby?"

"I… didn't really get a chance." Lizzy said hesitantly, knowing it wasn't exactly true.

"Well… maybe it'll be easier to talk when you've both cooled off a bit more." Jane suggested. Lizzy just huffed.

* * *

When they were all ready, they met downstairs. 

"Lets blow this place." Bobby said, eager to get out.

Charles was helping Jane on with her jacket, whispering something into her ear that made her smile. Lizzy tried not to glare at them.

"Isn't Fitz coming?" Bobby asked, looking around. Lizzy instead glared at him. "Oh…. I see." He said, smiling slightly.

"Don't start, Bobby. I'm not in the mood." Lizzy growled.

He put his hands up in a surrender gesture, then grabbed his coat.

* * *

I hope that part when almost everyone was talking at once wasn't too confusing, because I had fun writing it. ;) I also hope your not hating Bobby too much right now- he's not really a bad guy- he just likes to mess with people. :) 

Let me know what you think.


	16. Just let me have my fun tonight

_Missusmesser, Dark Rose, Novaya Zemlya, Randomisation, Snowtigress, Gentileschi, Anna, LawisJustice, Riotgirllina, Beth, Ashes, El W, Mara look-a-like, Sweet-Dreamrose, Sobee1982, Rxc, Blossom1098, Darcy Lover , Lehcar55555, Terry, Rubic-Cube, and Shadowsndust _

Heaps and heaps of gratitude, as always for your WONDERFUL reviews!!

Uh oh- getting some mixed reviews on Bobby-O :D. Some think he's a jerk and some love his mischievous ways. But any opinion is a good opinion in my...opinion ;)

So this chap is a little short, but I hadn't planned on putting it up so quickly. Rubic-Cube threw out the question of their being another chap before Christmas, and I was like- hey! That's a good idea! Give all my faithful readers (whom I ADORE!) a little present. So here you go.

Side note- the title of the chap is from Pinks song (U and Ur hand) which I was listening to alot when I wrote this. It doesnt go exactly with the story, but now that song will forever remind me of this chap. Anyway, enough of my rambling -

Happy Holidays!

* * *

**Chapter sixteen  
**_Just let me have my fun tonight_

Lizzy regretted her and Wills fight as soon as Charles took Jane off to the dance floor. Bobby had wondered off before they even made it ten steps into the club, and finding herself alone at the bar was not what Lizzy had expected of the evening. Of course, if Will were _here_ instead of pouting at the hotel, things would have been going a lot better.

"Captain and coke." She yelled over the noise at the bartenders inquiring look. He nodded to show he understood her, and began grabbing bottles.

It was the fact that she didn't know what had set him off that bothered her so much. He couldn't really be this upset over Bobby, could he? She did admit to herself that she'd been spending a lot of time with him, but that wasn't any reason to go off and sulk. It wasn't like she excluded him. Didn't she invite him to come? Didn't she almost twist his arm to try and get him here?

"Hey there." Someone had squeezed into the stool to the left of her and was smiling flirtatiously.

"Hi." She answered, not returning the smile. She focused her attention on the bartender, who was back with her drink, and hoped the guy would take a hint.

"Thanks." She said loudly, and tasted the drink. It was stronger than she thought it would be, and she knew she wouldn't have to drink too many before she felt the affects.

"I'll have what she's having." The man said, pointing at her drink and looking at the bartender. He got the same nod Lizzy did and turned back to her.

"The make them strong here." He said, as if sharing a joke.

Lizzy turned to appraise him. Now that she gave him more than a passing glance, she realized he looked familiar. Very familiar. She racked her brain for a clue as to who he was, but came up blank. A reporter? God, she hopped not. But when it was apparent that he wasn't acting like he knew her, she guessed he must just look like someone she knew.

Pushing the obscurity out of her mind, she instead took in his appearance. He was cute, she supposed. He had a nice face, but with kind of sharp features. His blond hair would look better if it were a little shorter and had some curl to it. His eyes were light blue and didn't hold any of the warmth that…

'_Oh god_.' Lizzy thought with alarm. '_I'm comparing him to Will_.'

This was never a good thing, in Lizzy opinion. Never mind that she'd only known Will a month or so and was already _way_ too into him, but to start comparing random guys to him - well, that was just _not_ a good sign.

"…your name?" Belatedly, Lizzy realized the man was speaking to her again. Luckily, she could blame it on the noise of the club and not her lack of attention.

"What?" she asked, cocking her ear to him.

"What's your name?" He had taken the opportunity to get close to her, almost touching her as he leaned it to speak right into her ear.

"Liz." Lizzy replied coolly, jerking her head back and turning so she faced the bar and not him.

"Like Liz Taylor?" He asked, seemingly amused by her response.

"No, actually, _nothing_ like Liz Taylor." She replied, turning her head to the dance floor to look for any sign of Jane. Or Charles. Or Bobby. Or _anyone_.

"Hey- you want to dance?" The man - she realized she still didn't know his name- asked.

"No thanks. I'm waiting for someone." Liz turned forward again, hoping he could at least take _that_ hint, and took a long gulp of her drink. She had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

"I'm not surprised, a pretty thing like you." He said with a laugh. Lizzy didn't think she liked being called a 'pretty thing', but didn't want to get into it with this guy.

He tried to keep the conversation up for the next ten minutes, much to Lizzy's chagrin; and when neither Jane, Charles nor Bobby had returned, she realized she'd just have to get out of this on her own. So she did what had always worked back in high school.

"Sorry. I have to use the restroom." Lizzy said, paid the bartender and started walking away.

She felt a hand grab her arm and jerk her around again. She was surprised to find the man - she really should have found out his name- looking down into her eyes with kind of a scary look on his face.

Then he smiled, loosened his grip and asked, "Need me to walk you?"

"No thanks." She said with a hard look of her own, yanking her arm out of his grip. "I can find the way."

Shaking her head at the nerve of him, she scrounged the floor for any signs of her friends. The crowd seemed to have doubled already and the dark room and flashing lights were no help. Shrugging, she decided she might as well actually go to the bathroom while she thought what she'd do next.

It was clear from the scene at the bar that she wasn't interested in being with anyone else now. She was too old to tag after her sister all night, not to mention the whole third wheel syndrome she felt with Charles there. Bobby was fun, but she knew from experience that he partied too hardy for her taste.

She wished now she had just stayed home. She and Will could have talked- or at least watched a movie or something. At the time, though, she had childishly wanted to spite him, and the only way to do that was to come and have fun. No reason for him to know she was having a rotten time.

As she reached the bathroom, she immediately went to the sink to splash some cold water on her face. It was hotter than hell walking through that crowd, and Lizzy was sweating from the effort. As she dried her face with a paper towel, the room tilted suddenly and she grabbed onto the sink to keep from falling.

"Whoa." she mumbled to herself, shaking her head slowly.

All this from one lousy drink? Maybe the barman had made it stronger than she realized. Lizzy waited for the feeling to pass, but it just seemed to get worse. Finally, she slid down onto the floor and closed her eyes, leaning against the wall.

What the hell was going on? Lizzy knew all this couldn't have been from the drink. Had she eaten something bad? Thinking back, though, she knew she didn't eat anything that the others hadn't.

Suddenly panicked, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Jane's number by instinct. Lizzy had no hope of Jane actually _hearing_ the phone, but maybe she'd feel it vibrating in her pocket. It rang six times, all the while Lizzy was praying for her to answer, before going to voice mail.

She tried Charles, then Bobby, both with the same result.

Lizzy now not only felt dizziness, but nauseated and slightly drowsy as well. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew she was in trouble. After trying the three numbers again to no avail, she didn't know what else to do but to call Will. He was fifteen minutes away, but the only other person she could trust to help her. And, hopefully, someone who would actually be able to hear his phone ring.

Her pride would be wounded at calling him for help, but she'd rather face wounded pride than to pass out on the bathroom floor of a club she didn't know. Lizzy dialed.

"Hello?" Will's soft voice with his slight accent greeted her on the second ring.

"Will." Lizzy said with such relief she was sure she'd worry him.

"Elizabeth? What's wrong?" he asked, anxious.

"Something is... I don't feel so..." She replied vaguely.

"Where are you?" he asked after a pause.

"In the bathroom." She replied fuzzily, and realized whatever was happening was getting worse.

"Are you… are you drunk?" he asked, and Lizzy couldn't read the tone in his voice.

"I only had _one _drink." She replied emphatically. This was very important, for some reason. Lizzy just couldn't remember why…

"Are you sure?" Will asked, dubious.

"I'm sure. I only had one drink, but… I feel…I feel…" Lizzy struggled to make herself understood. "Weird."

"What did you drink?" Will asked. Lizzy could hear him moving around on the phone and she hoped he was on his way. She missed him. Why wasn't he here already?

"Will…" she murmured, prepared to tell him how much she missed him, but he cut her off.

"What did you drink?" he asked sharply.

"Rum and coke." She replied, pouting at his harsh words. Maybe this was why he wasn't with her. He was mean.

"Did anyone touch it?" Will asked, his voice still sharp.

"Touch what?" Lizzy sighed. She didn't even know what Will was asking, let alone the answer. Her head was just too fuzzy for this conversation and she was about to shut the phone off and rest her head against the wall when his voice stopped her just in time.

"Elizabeth- stay with me." He said, almost panicked. She was just panicked to, wasn't she? But why? Something to do with Will, wasn't it?

"Sure, Will. I'll stay with you." She agreed. She liked his panicked voice better than the harsh voice, anyway.

She covered her eyes, which were not focusing on anything, with her free hand and squeezed back against the wall to be out of the way. The others in the bathroom didn't blink at the girl on the ground, obviously drunk, almost passed out and murmuring to (they assumed) her boyfriend.

"Who gave you the drink?" Will asked. Lizzy sighed - his voice had lost the panic and was back to the bossy, mean voice.

"Will, if you want me to stay, you can't talk to me like that." She said heavily. She shook her head wobbly, hoping it would help with the dizziness. It didn't.

"Like what?" he asked, frustrated. She heard more noises in the background and struggled to place them.

"Where are you, Will?" she wondered. Was that a car starting up?

"I'm coming to get you." He said hurriedly.

"Oh good. I can't get Jane or Charles or…" There was someone else, right? She'd come with Jane, she knew that. And if Jane was there, than so was Charles. But who would the third person be? Will- but Will didn't come with them. Not Georgiana, she was too young... Caroline? Lizzy laughed at the thought, realizing belatedly that Will might think she was crazy.

"Bobby?" Will asked, using the mean voice once more. He'd apparently chosen to ignore her almost manic laughing.

"I'm going to hang up if you keep using that voice." Lizzy warned, meaning it. She liked Will, but her head could not take these hard questions combined with his sharp tones.

"_What_ voice?" Will asked again.

"The mean one. Talk _nice _to me, Will. And no more hard questions." Lizzy instructed and started rocking slightly. If anything, she got a small breeze from the movement that cooled her overheated face. Hadn't they ever heard of air-conditioning?

"What… what do you want to talk about?" Will asked in his most pleasant voice. He knew he had to keep her on the phone until he could get to her and he wasn't going to risk anything to have her hang up.

"I wish you'd come with us." Lizzy said with a sigh.

"I do, too." Will replied with guilt. If he'd been there, this would have never happened to Elizabeth.

"Were you angry with me?" Lizzy wondered. She couldn't remember exactly why they fought, but she had a feeling it was her fault. Didn't Jane say it was? Lizzy shrugged to herself- it would help if she could even remember what had happened.

"No, of course not." he soothed.

"Then why didn't you want to come with me?" she wanted to know.

"I just… had stuff I had to do." Will responded.

"I don't believe you." Lizzy replied. He'd used that same excuse when he wanted to get out of something with Caroline, and that thought hurt. "I wish you were here, Will."

"I'm almost there, Elizabeth, just hang on, okay?" Will encouraged.

"Mmm. I like when you say my name." She told him with a smile.

"Do you?" He asked, pleased despite his concern.

"Hey, you." A girl appeared above Lizzy and she reluctantly opened her eyes and looked up at her.

"Yeah?" Lizzy asked, watching as the girl swayed in and out of focus.

"Your boy is outside looking for you." She informed her.

"You're here, Will?" Lizzy asked, excited, trying to stand.

"I will be in just one minute." Will replied.

This didn't make sense to Lizzy. How could he be outside but not here yet?

"Is it Will?" she asked the girl.

"Didn't give me name. Just told me to find Liz and tell her he was outside." The girl replied.

"No." Lizzy shook her head, sliding back down to the floor. "Will only ever calls me Elizabeth."

The girl shrugged and returned outside.

"What was that?" Will wanted to know. His voice wasn't sharp, but sounded something like panic, and Lizzy didn't like it much anymore.

"You're voice, Will." She admonished. Trying to get up was not a very good idea. She looked at her hand, which was trembling slightly.

"Sorry." He sighed, frustrated. "I'm just walking into the club now." He said, and Lizzy could immediately hear the music through the phone that she heard pounding through the walls.

"Oh, good." Lizzy sighed happily. She was _so_ ready to leave.

Will didn't try to speak over the music, just found the woman's bathroom as fast as possible.

"Elizabeth, I'm right outside. Can you come out?" He asked gently.

"Can't." she replied, looking at her still trembling hand. "Just come in and get me Will. I'm ready to go home and sleep."

Will sighed, debated his choices, and then walked into the women's room.

"Uh, dude?" A woman raised her eyebrows at him when he entered, but Will's eyes immediately went to Lizzy hunched form on the floor.

"Elizabeth." He said, relieved he'd found her. She dropped the phone gratefully and smiled up at him.

"Hey Will." She replied, reaching for him.

Will pulled her up easily, and got a good look at her. Her eyes were glazed over and she was trembling slightly. As he reached up to brush the hair out of her face, he noticed her skin was warm- much warmer than it should be.

"Come on, Elizabeth, let's get you out of here." He said, worry etched in his brow. He leaned down to retrieve her phone before leading her, leaning heavily on him, out of the bathroom.

A man who was waiting just outside stood up straight and gave him an odd look at coming out of the woman's bathroom, but Will ignored it and kept walking.

"We should find Jane and tell her what happened." He told Elizabeth over the music, eyes scanning the room.

"Couldn't find them anywhere." Lizzy said. Will was just barely able to hear her.

They were standing at the edge of the dancing crowd, Lizzy almost asleep against Will and Will debating what to do. He knew he had to get Elizabeth either back to Pemberley or to a hospital, but if she just disappeared Jane and Charles would freak. How long would they look before calling Will to let him know they lost her? Would they even think of calling him?

"Bobby!" Lizzy shouted, startling him. Will followed her gaze to see Bobby look over at the shout, then turn to walk over. He didn't know whether to be relieved or not. He'd much rather deal with Jane or Charles.

"Heya Fitz- change your mind?" he asked with a smile before looking down at Lizzy.

"Oh Lizard- you don't look so hot." He said with an amused smile. "Had too much to drink, did you?"

"I guess so…" Lizzy said, puzzled. How many drinks _did_ she have?

"She only had one." Will answered coldly. "I think someone's drugged her."

Both Bobby and Liz looked up at Will in shock.

"Drugged her?" Bobby asked, shock turning into anger.

"Drugged me?" Lizzy echoed, disbelieving.

"Who?" Bobby asked tightly.

"I don't know. I tried to ask her but…" Will looked down at Lizzy.

Bobby grabbed her shoulders, pulling her out of Wills arms and gave her a little shake to get her attention. "Who's been bothering you, Liz? A guy at the bar, wasn't it? The one who bought you a drink?" he asked.

"No, _I _bought the drink. He got the same one I did, though." Lizzy replied hazily. Will had been glaring at Bobby after he shook Elizabeth, but now he looked down at her, listening hard to what she was saying.

Bobby nodded as if he'd expected this. "The one dressed all in black, wasn't it? With the long dark hair?" he asked, still clutching her shoulders.

"No. He had blonde hair, kinda short. He was wearing a blue shirt…" Lizzy corrected. She closed her eyes, pushed Bobby away clumsily and turned to lean against Will, her right hand clutching his shirt in an effect to stand. "I want to go _home_."

"Okay, we're going." Will said gently to her. "Will you tell Jane and Charles what happened?" he asked Bobby.

"Yeah, sure. If you've got anymore questions for her, Lizzy hates answering them when she'd drunk. But she'll correct you when you guess something wrong." Bobby advised him.

"Got it. What about the guy?" Will asked.

"Don't worry." Bobby said, eyes hard and jaw clenched. "I'll find him."

Will felt an irrational surge of jealousy. He knew he couldn't do both jobs, and given a choice he'd much rather take care of Elizabeth, but he also wanted to find the man responsible for drugging her.

But Will just nodded and, with a firm hold on Lizzy, made his way to the entrance. He was unconsciously giving a hard look at anyone with any kind of blue on their shirt, and as a result he got a wide birth the let him weave through the crowd much easier than normal.

He handed a ticket to the valet and gazed down at Elizabeth while they waited. Her eyes were closed and Will had no doubt that she would have just laid down and fallen asleep wherever she was if he wasn't there.

As it was, she was practically sleeping standing against him and Will wondered if he should keep her awake. He'd only ever heard of keeping concussion victims awake, but admittedly didn't know much about drugged victims. Surely it would be okay - people must pass out all the time, right?

The valet drove around with his car, stopping his internal debate. Will slid Lizzy carefully into the passenger seat, buckled her in and shut the door. With a thanks and a tip to the valet, he got in the drivers seat and took off.

"Elizabeth, I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?" Will said softly. Even his low voice sounded loud in the sudden quiet of the car after the almost defending noise inside the club.

"No way." Lizzy replied, very firmly. Her eyes were still shut, but her head turned in his direction.

"What? Why not?" Will asked, surprised.

"Because I have enough trouble as it is." she replied. Eyes still closed, she reached out to fumble with the air-conditioning and almost turned on the radio. "It's so hot."

"Elizabeth, we don't know what kind of drugs are in your system, or how much. It could be very dangerous, you _have _to go to the hospital." Will replied, equally firm. He gently pushed her hand away and turned the air on full blast, aiming all the vents towards her.

"Will I _can't_ go to the hospital. Besides, I'm sure I would have overdosed by now if it was going to happen." Her offhanded manner did nothing to soothe Will.

"You're being ridiculous, Elizabeth. You have _got _to see a doctor." He wondered why he was bothering to argue. She had no idea where they were going and wouldn't be able to protest much once they got there.

"I said _no_. Do you know what would happen if I showed up at a hospital, drugged to the gills? The press are still hanging around, they would hear about it like that." Lizzy tried to snap, but failed. She assumed Will got the jist of it.

"Who cares what the bloody press thinks? You _need _to see a doctor." Will snapped back.

"... Did you just say bloody?" Elizabeth asked, sounding curiously amused.

"Elizabeth." His voice held a warning. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No, Will. Take me home. I mean it." Elizabeth wasn't warning him, she was demanding him.

"I will not be responsible for anything bad happening to you." Will told her.

"You won't be. _I'm_ making a decision. Take me home." she repeated.

"I'm taking you to see a doctor and that's final." he told her, jaw set.

"Will please." Elizabeth reached up to touch his shoulder and Will glanced over to see that she was making an effect to keep her eyes open. "I can't take anymore bad press. Not only that, Wickham will use it against me at the trial."

"I don't want anything to happen to you." Glad for the red-light, Will turned to face her fully, reaching over to caress her cheek. Her face was still warm and it only reinstalled the urge to take her to the hospital.

"I'll be okay. I'll just sleep it off." She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes and placing a kiss on his hand in an action that made his heart swell. "_Please_, Will."

"Elizabeth..." Will hesitated.

"Look- if I get any worse you can take me, okay? But, if I _was _drugged," And Lizzy had to admit that it looked as if that's what had happened. "Then I doubt it was because someone wanted to _kill _me."

"I don't think this is a good idea." Will told her. "But okay... I'll take you home."

* * *

So there you go. A little evil, I know, but what if I promise to update again before next year? ;) 

I'm thinking Will would have taken her to the hospital no matter what she said, but I really need them at home, otherwise whats the point in druggin her?:)

Also, I've noticed I'm being a little mean to Lizzy lately- you may be wondering if I have some kind of vendetta against her but I don't. I swear. :)

BTW-  
_Rubic-Cube, _to answer you're question yes, Darcy's parents are dead already- I'll try and slip that in somewhere to make it more clear. And yes there WILL be another chapt before christmas (though just before) ;)

_Shadowsndust_ - Nice spotting the Ever After quote. I was going to put a note (a disclamer, really) but I was curious if anyone would see it. :) ( I LOVE that movie)

You know what a really good present would be? A review. No, no, I'm not hinting. I'm just saying. :D

Have a good one everybody!! You guys are the BEST.


	17. Into the night

_Micheped, michelle, Rubic-Cube, Dolphin Dreamer, Pinkey the Brain, Beth, Dark Rose, Forgotten-Kiss, Missusmesser, Rachel, Anonymous, Terry, Mara look-a-like, Teengirl01, LawisJustice, Sobee1982, Sophie, Shadowsndust, Riotgirllina, Randomisation, and Check6  
_  
**Thanks for your reviews!!** Wow! What a great bunch of Christmas presents! I love you're guys reviews SO much – they really inspire me to get cracking on a new chapter :D

_Beth-_ Yes please! I do appreciate it when people point out my little mistakes – I go back and change them on my computer and (when it works, because for some reason a lot of the times it doesn't) I go back and change it in the chapter and repost it. Thanks for the review (and your help)

_Sophie -_ Jane and Lizzy's parents - I'm glad you asked. I do have them coming into the story, and had planned on them coming in already, but I keep procrastinating, I guess. They'll be in soon, though because Jane (who has her own place) still lives in the same area as them (and remember- Jane has to get back home soon, for work)

_Sophie again_ – I have _no_ idea how I pasted the story twice - but thanks for pointing it out (sorry I got your hopes up!) ;)

Lots of questions about the mysterious blonde dude – don't worry. We'll learn more about who he is and what he's all about in the next few chapters. Does he have anything to do with Wickham? Hmmm…. ;D

Lets see- this chapter rating is bumped up a little (due to language, mostly) Nothing to get upset about, though, so enjoy!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

* * *

**Chapter seventeen**  
_Into the night_

Since Will had been on his way to the hospital and had to double back to get to Pemberley, it took twice as long. When Elizabeth hadn't said anything for awhile, Will realized she'd fallen asleep. He kept reaching over to touch the pulse point on her neck because, paranoid or not, he was afraid she'd stopped breathing. Her pulse was there, slower than it should be, but it beat steady and that appeased Will for now.

He wondered if he should just turn back around again and go to the hospital. She'd probably sleep through the whole thing. Well... until they most likely pumped her stomach. But Will had told her he wouldn't and despite his misgivings on agreeing to let her sleep it off, he wouldn't break his word.

By the time they reached Pemberley, it was past midnight. Only the few employees on the graveyard shift would be up, and they would all be in the main lobby. Will was grateful for this, at least. As the owner, it wasn't like he would have to explain himself; but it would be nice to do without all the looks he'd get carrying an unconscious woman into his home.

Parking the car, he got out and walked over and opened the front door before going to get Lizzy.

"Elizabeth, we're home." he said just above a whisper. She didn't stir, either at his words or as he unbuckled her seatbelt. Sliding one hand under her knees and the other across her back, Will gently lifted her out of the car, then started walking towards the front door. He was just inside when she jerked so violently and so suddenly that he almost dropped her.

"Let go- Let _go_!" She shouted, struggling.

"Elizabeth, calm down." Will tried to soothe her and not drop her at the same down. Luckily for them both, Lizzy calmed at his voice.

"Will?" She questioned hazily, and then wrapped her arms around his neck as he got a better grip on her.

"It's okay, I've got you." he murmured to her, walking upstairs.

Thankful her door was open a crack, Will toed it open the rest of the way and walked to the bed in the middle of the room. As he gently laid her down, he was slightly surprised to see her eyes were open. They were still glassy and her face was still flushed.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go to the hospital?" Will questioned, already knowing her answer.

"I'm sure." she replied, nodding with exaggeration.

Will reached down to take off her shoes and socks, but didn't have the courage to go any further. "Erm... so you can get into your pajamas, can't you?"

"What's the matter Will? You don't want to undress me?" She asked flirtatiously and Will almost choked.

"Ask me that again when you're sober, and you'll get your answer." Will smiled when he recovered, half sure she wouldn't remember this in the morning, anyway.

"Come 'ere, Will." she beckoned, hand outstretched.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, taking her hand and squatting down next to the bed so he was eye level with her.

"Nothing's wrong." she chuckled, then leaned over and kissed him.

Will was torn between pleasure and anxiety. He pulled back.

"Will." She protested, trying to pull him back.

"Elizabeth, don't." He said, backing out of her reach. He didn't have to bother. At his words, she got such a look of hurt in her eyes that he had a feeling kissing him was the last thing on her mind. He wished he had handled that better.

"I wish you'd make up your mind." She snapped, turning over in the bed so her back was to him.

"Elizabeth..." Will put his hand on her back, but she shrugged it off.

"You can't tell someone they're the most beautiful person you've ever met one day and refuse to kiss them the next." She said angrily, her words slurring together even through her anger. Will could hear the hurt in her voice.

"You _are _the most beautiful person I've ever met, Elizabeth. And if you weren't 'drugged to the gills', as you put it, I _would _kiss you." Will replied gently.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked impatiently.

"Because I'm not going to take advantage of you." he replied and she finally turned back around to face him.

"Take advantage of me? Will, it's not like I don't kiss you when I'm sober." she reminded him.

"Yes well, I'd prefer it if you could remember kissing me the morning after." Will said.

Lizzy got such a look of pain on her face and Will wondered how his statement could have hurt her feelings so much. He sat in stunned silence when she then jumped out of bed and ran clumsily, at times almost tripping, into the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her.

Thinking he must have really hurt her, Will went over to the door and tried to open it. "Elizabeth-" he started, pulling on the locked handle.

"Go away!" she said forcefully. Will was about to apologize for what he said when he heard the unmistakable sound of her being sick.

"Elizabeth, let me in." he said gently, wanting to make sure she was okay.

"Go _away_, Will. God, as if this isn't embarrassing enough." she said weakly back to him.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about Elizabeth." He told her, meaning it. "Besides- you won't remember this in the morning anyway."

Her only response was to groan. He didn't know if it was in response to him, or to her nausea, however. She he knocked lightly again. "Come on, Lizzybeth."

"Now? Your making up pet names _now_?" she asked, incredulous. He couldn't help but laugh. He heard the toilet flush, then water running. Soon after, she opened the door. "If I don't remember that in the morning, tell it to me again."

"I will." He promised, reaching out for her. She came willingly, and he led her back into bed. "Better out than in, huh?"

"No making jokes about me throwing up in front of you, not until I've gotten to see _you_ throw up." She told him sternly. He smiled.

"Shall I go and get sick then? Call it even?" he asked, tucking her in.

"Nah." She said, kicking off the covers he just placed over her. "One of us at a time, okay?"

Before he could ask what she was doing, or figure it out himself, she'd sat up again and pulled her shirt off, tossing it to the side. Will sat, once again too shocked to do anything but stare for a minute. When she began to unbutton her jeans, however, he stood up and went to the bathroom.

"Will." She called him back, pulling her jeans down and tossing them in the general direction that her shirt went. "You better not be throwing up." She warned, flopping back down and pulling the covers back over her.

"I'm not." He said weakly.

Lizzy lay for a minute, listening to the water running in the bathroom before kicking off the heavy blankets once more, this time just keeping the thin sheet to cover herself.

"This bed is really comfy." She said out loud, staring up at the faint lights dancing on the ceiling.

"Is it?" Will asked, peaking out to make sure she was once again decent before coming back with a washcloth in his hand. He sat on the edge of the bed and wiped her face with it, then pulled her hair up and pressed it to the back of her neck.

"Ohh that feels good." She sighed, tilting her head to give him better access. Will bit his lip and reminded himself that she was drugged.

When the washcloth was no longer cool, he went back to the bathroom to run cold water over it again, then returned to Lizzy. He repeated this process until he noticed she'd fallen asleep. He then pulled the sheet back up and brushed the hair out of her face, as he watched her sleep.

It was odd to see her so still. When she was awake, she was constantly in motion. Even sitting down for dinner, when she was somewhat restricted to one spot, she was always moving. Her fingers tapping - or moving food around her plate; her leg jiggling under the table, her head bobbing almost unconsciously to some song that was only in her head.

Will wondered idly if she noticed how different they were in some ways. Wondered if she thought of how they looked together; her in constant motion, him as calm and still as a statue.

Their backgrounds were the main difference between them, he guessed. She had an older sister to look up to, and three younger sisters to look out for. He was alone most of his childhood. Though his parents spent as much time with him as they could, nothing could replace a sibling or a close friend. Still, he didn't resent his childhood, or his early teenage years.

They had both similar and opposite personalities; Elizabeth was all about speaking her mind, and Will only confronted someone when he had to. Both were shy at times, outgoing at others. But they shared the same humor, and their morals- their principles were almost identical. Both only had a few friends, but the ones they did have were as close as family.

Opposite and identical. It was a funny kind of paradox that just made their relationship more special.

Elizabeth groaned in her sleep, turning her head slightly and mumbling incoherently before settling back into a restful dose. The movement snapped Will out of his reverie, and he stood. "I'll be right back." He whispered to her.

He hurried out of the room, practically ran down the stairs, and jogged to his makeshift office. He unplugged his laptop, and then headed back upstairs, taking them two at a time.

Lizzy hadn't moved in the few minutes he'd been gone, but he went over anyway, made sure she was still okay, then set the laptop on the desk that was to the right of the bed.

Once it had started up, he connected to the internet, and then put all Lizzy's symptoms into a search engine. With a heavy heart, he clicked on the first link that came up- a drug guide website. Getting more and more worried as more of his suspicions were confirmed, Will glanced over the list of the main drugs with Lizzy symptoms, coming to one that fit the symptoms and situation almost perfectly.

Rohypnol

_The drug creates a sleepy, relaxed, and drunk feeling that lasts 2 to 8 hours. Other effects may include blackouts, with a compete loss of memory, dizziness and disorientation, nausea, difficulty with motor movements and speaking. _

_**THE EFFECTS OF ROHYPNOL** _

_A person under the influence of Rohypnol can appear to be drunk, display no coordination, blood-shot eyes and slurred speech. Sedation can occur as soon as 20 minutes after ingestion. The drug's effects will peak within 2 hours and may persist for up to 8 hours or more, depending on the dosage. Other adverse effects associated with flunitrazepam include visual disturbances, drowsiness, confusion, decreased blood pressure, memory impairment, gastrointestinal disturbances and urinary retention. When mixed with alcohol, Rohypnol may cause respiratory depression, aspiration or even death. Although classified as a depressant, Rohypnol can rarely induce excitability or aggressive behavior."_

However much he wished this wasn't the case, Will knew in his gut that this is what had been given to Lizzy. He now revised his search to find out what he should do for her. Most sites only told about the effects and what the drug was used for, but Will finally found one that had the information he was looking for.

_**What to do if you think you may have been spiked: **_

_Remain Calm.  
If you are with a friend that you implicitly trust, tell them your concerns and ask them to get you home by taxi and ask them to stay with you until the effects of the drug have worn off._

_If you are alone, with a stranger, or do not fully trust anyone in the group, tell the pub owner or manager. It is imperative that you move immediately to a place of safety. Ask him/her to call a friend you trust and stay with a staff member. Do not let a stranger offer to help you or take you home- they may well be the attacker_

Will let out a sigh of relief. No one said they should be rushed to the hospital, though he would still have liked to do it. Most didn't even know they'd had the drug until the next day.

He shut the laptop down, and then went to kneel next to the bed. He reached out and took Lizzy's hand lightly, afraid to wake her.

"I won't ever let anything happen to you again." He whispered fiercely to her.

Her only response was to mumble unintelligibly again.

"Lizzy!" Will jumped when Jane and Charles hurried in.

"How is she?" Jane asked, face etched with worry as she came over to see for herself. Will reluctantly let go of Lizzy's hand to give Jane the room to be near her sister.

"She fell asleep a little bit ago. She didn't seem too out of it." He paused. "I wanted to take her to the hospital, but she wouldn't let me." Will grimaced at how that sounded, but Jane just nodded, not taking her eyes off Lizzy.

"I'm not surprised." She sighed and Will couldn't help but be relieved that she didn't seem to think he made the wrong decision.

"How did this happen?" Charles asked quietly, looking worriedly down at Lizzy's sleeping form.

Will explained about getting the phone call and figuring out that someone must have drugged her. How he went to pick her up and found Bobby before he took her home.

"Thank God you believe her when she said she wasn't drunk." Jane commented with a shake of her head when he finished his story. "She always says she only had one drink to me when she's been drinking all night."

Will blinked. It hadn't even occurred to him that she hadn't been telling the truth. Sure, he questioned her at first, but he had already been on his way to get her while he did it.

"Well, it had only been less than an hour since you guys left- you would have realized she couldn't have have that much in that amount of time." Will reassured her. Jane was silent for a minute.

"Thank you, Will. If it weren't for you, who knows what could have happened to her?" Jane frowned at the thought while Will tried to shrug off her gratitude.

"I found a website," he said, trying to change the subject. "Most people don't even know they'd been drugged until the next morning and another one said to just stay with the person all night. None were adamant about going to the hospital."

"Ha. Good luck trying to get Liz to a hospital." Another voice said, entering the room.

"There you are." Jane said with relief.

"Miss me, did you?" Bobby asked with a wink. He came to sit in the chair by the desk, grimacing as he sat down.

"What happened?" Jane asked, already knowing the answer.

"I found the bastard." Bobby replied, a hard glint in his eye.

"Oh, Bobby." Jane sighed.

"What happened?" Will echoed, thinking he could guess.

"He'll think twice next time." Bobby answered simply. "How's my girl?"

"Jane." Lizzy choose that moment to stir. All eyes were immediately upon her, and the group inched closer to the bed.

"I'm here." Jane murmured down, brushing the hair back from her face.

"I'm sorry." Lizzy frowned.

"It's okay, Lizzy." Jane soothed.

"It's all my fault." She whimpered.

"Of course it's not." Jane replied.

"It is. I shouldn't have let him near you." Lizzy moaned. Will and Charles were at a momentary loss as to what she was talking about, but Jane and Bobby knew at once whom 'He' was.

"Shh… it's over with." Jane assured her after a slight hesitation.

Lizzy mumbled on about how sorry she was, despite Jane's reassurances, for about another ten minutes before drifting off again. By then, everyone in the room knew what she was talking about.

"What the fuck is this?" Bobby asked suddenly. He reached down and pulled something off the floor, holding it for the room to see. Even in the semi-dark room, Will could tell what it was. Lizzy's shirt.

Bobby stood up suddenly, and gave Will a hard shove. "You wait until Lizzy's wasted and strip her?" He shoved Will again, shirt still in hand. "What else did you do to her?"

"Bobby, calm down." Jane urged.

"I didn't do _anything_ to her." Will replied with a contemptuous scowl, crossing his arms in front of himself and silently daring Bobby to try and push him again. "She was hot, so she stripped herself. I went into the bathroom. Not that it's any of _your_ business."

"The hell it isn't." Bobby growled back. He seemed to hesitate, not knowing if he believed Will or not.

"Leave 'im 'lone." The room was again deathly quiet, and all eyes turned to the bed, as Lizzy seemed to have woken again. Bobby immediately went to her bedside, kneeling to look her into the face.

"What happened to you're clothes, Liz?" he asked her. "Did Will do anything to you?"

"Mm… I wish." Lizzy replied, and then turned around, pulling the covers up so they were almost over her head.

"Egh, I didn't need to hear that." Bobby replied, standing.

"Neither did I, to tell the truth." Charles added with a grin.

The three turned to Will to gauge his reaction to Lizzy's comment. His eyes were on the floor, but his bright red face said it all. Bobby chuckled, clearly in a better mood.

"Well, I think I'll go stitch myself up and call it a night." He turned to Jane. "You'll take care of her?"

"Yes." Jane replied, but now directed her worry towards him. "Will you be okay?"

"Sure. They make us Taggarts a hardy bunch." He shuffled to the door, then turned back to face Will. "Hey, sorry about…" he waved his hand at the space between them. "all that. Don't take it personally. I'm just an ass when I'm in pain."

"It's okay." Will said, making an effort not to scowl. He still hadn't gotten a straight answer out of Lizzy on her and Bobby's relationship, and was still wary of the man.

"Good." Bobby nodded as if he didn't notice Wills reservation and continued out.

It took a minute to realize that Bobby was still staying in town and would have a long-and no doubt painful- trip back to the hotel. He almost let the man go, but his general good nature, and maybe just a little hope that Lizzy would be proud of him, made Will catch up to Bobby just as he reached the door.

"Hey, listen." He said, catching Bobby's attention.

"You're not going to want to fight, are you?" Bobby joked, sounding tired.

"No." Will replied, thrown by the question.

"Good. Because I have a feeling you'd be able to take me." He smiled.

"I just realized you're heading back into town. Why don't you stay the night?" Will offered politely. Bobby raised his eyebrows in a gesture that reminded him of Lizzy.

"I wouldn't want to put you out." Bobby replied.

"You wouldn't. There's plenty of room." Will replied. "Come on, I'll get you the first aid kit."

Will turned and headed to an empty downstairs room, figuring that Bobby would want to climb the stairs as little as possible until he was healed up. When he turned on the light and heard Bobby's grunt behind him he turned to get a better look at him.

He had a black eye, a busted lip and, by the way he'd been holding himself, Will guessed some bruised ribs. Will went into the bathroom and pulled out a first aid kit from underneath the sink. Bobby had stripped his shirt in Will's absence and, after getting a good look at his torso, he winced in sympathy.

"Here." He said, handing him the kit. "Maybe _you_ should go to the hospital."

"Nah." He laughed. "I'll be fine."

"Do you want some ice?" Will asked, not bothering to argue.

"I can find my way." Bobby replied. "Go on, I know you're dying to get back to Liz." He smiled. The host in him hesitated, even if this was the truth.

"Seriously, I'll be fine." He pulled some aspirin out of the kit. "Some of these and I'll be good as new." He shook the bottle. "Let me know if she gets worse or anything."

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

"Positive. Or if she says anything embarrassing- write it down for me to tease her about, huh?" Bobby laughed.

Will forced a smile, and then turned to leave. He made it to the door before Bobby stopped him. "Hey, Fitz."

"Yeah?" Will asked warily.

"Thanks, man." Bobby said, suddenly serious. "Not just for this. For helping Liz."

Will nodded and left.

* * *

End notes? Well, first of all, I hope you liked it. 

The original idea I had in mind for this chapter was having Will be alone with Lizzy all night; but when I started writing, it occurred to me that - duh, Jane is going to come right home when she finds out what happened and, duh, she's going to want to take care of her sister. But that defeats the whole purpose of drugging Lizzy (fun convos with Will, Will taking care of her, stuff like that - plus a little subplot for later chapts) I think I worked it out, though. I guess we'll see next chap, huh?

I also have some good news, and some bad news. The bad news is, I won't be updating anymore this year.

::dramatic pause:::

The good news is, I'll probably have a new chapter up within a week or two (Okay totally corny, but come on - I _had_ to do it) :oD

Have a great new year!!!

* * *

PS- I've been sitting here for well over ten minutes trying to somehow add the websites where I got the information on Rohypnol, but no matter how I do it, it always dissapears when I save the changes. Anyway, the three different paragraphs where Will looked up info on the internet are from actual websites and I'd like to give them credit, but ::shrug:: So if your interested, let me know and I'll send the links another way. 

Thanks, see you soon ;)


	18. Talks and Confusion

_Sophie_ – I said it in the last chap, but JIC you didn't see it - I have _no_ idea how I pasted the story twice - but thanks for pointing it out (sorry I got your hopes up!) I tried to have them make out, but Will was being stubborn! There's something there, so I hope you forgive me anyway ;) And if you thought Will and Bobby were friends before... Well, I wont ruin it for you. Lol, Thanks for your review:)

_Mara look-a-like_ - ::winces:: sorry! It took a little longer than I thought it would to post, but I hope it was worth the wait – and Thanks for the review!

_LawisJustice_- I'm glad you liked it. I had this whole thing panned out for them to be alone but, like I said, as soon as I start writing it Jane popped in. whoops - :) thanks for the review.

_LizzynDarcy_ – Thanks for your comments! I knew I wanted to drug her, but I had to look up exactly what kind of drug did what so I got her reactions right and I got the idea to put it in because – like you said- it may help someone someday. Thanks again!

_Teengirl01_ – I'm glad you like him, some still aren't too sure about him but I'm trying to show that he's not so bad :) thanks for the review!

_Beth _– lol! I totally understood what you were saying and don't worry – you only switch one word- I type _way_ worse than that when I'm even the littlest bit distracted. I'm glad you think the song fit well with the chapt and Lizzy, I was even thinking about putting something about it in the story, but I never really got a chance. Anyway, I'll stop babbling. Thanks for your reviews, I'm glad your enjoying the story so much.

_Evil Shall Giggle_- Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it (because I _love_ writing it!) Happy (belated) New year :)

_Terry- _Thanks for the review. Yeah, Jane didn't let me forget about her, but I think I did the best I could to give Will and Lizzy some time alone and still make it believable- I'll guess we'll see, huh?

_Unknown – _I'm glad you love it because I love writing it:) More Lizzy/Will moments? Hmm… since you gave a great review, I'll see what I can do. ;)

_Check6 – Thanks for the review- a Lizzy/Will moment and some more info on the guy who spiked her? Well, without giving too much away- I think (hope) you'll be satisfied with this chap ;) _

_Missusmesser_- Thanks for you're awesome review! It's a great feeling when someone gets so excited to read a new chapt.

_Dolphin Dreamer_- (about the Bobby kicking the guys ass comment) Well, someone had to do it, and Bobby was so willing. :) And don't worry- I may maim them a bit, but I'd never kill anyone… no one _important_ anyway ;) Thanks for the review, as always.

_Riotgirllina_ – Glad you loved it :) Thanks for the review (though I didn't really updated as fast as I wanted to)

_Rubic-cube_ – Thanks for your great review - it may be a little later than ususal, but I hope it was worth it.

_Dark Rose_ – I love it- I have a biggest fan! LoL- Thanks for your awesome review ( as always ) and though it's a little late, I hope you like it!

_Pinkey the Brain_- Thanks so much for your review, I'm glad your enjoying it so much. I hope you like the new chapt as much. :)

_Krupski_ – Thanks for your review! Its so nice that people like this so much, because I'm having a ball writing it. Hope you enjoy this new chap :)

_Mel7_- That's so great that you like it- thanks for the review. Sorry it took longer than usual, but I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Thanks again:)

_Gentileschi_ – I think Bobby is having too much fun messing with Wills head to give him a straight answer, but don't worry- I won't torture him (Will) for much longer :) Thanks for the great review- hope you like the new chap :)

Well, as you can see, I was inspired to right everyone a little note. I'd like to do this for every chapter, but most days I just don't have time to. I do appreciate every review I get though, so I hope you all know that.

I know I know- Its been too long! I tired to have this up like, last week but it just didn't happen. Better late than never though, right? I hope you all enjoy it :)

**Chapter Eighteen****  
**_Talks and Confusion_

When Will walked back into Lizzy's room, Charles had claimed the chair Bobby had just left and Jane was still sitting on the edge of her sisters bed. Will shifted from one foot to the next, feeling out of place but hoping no on suggested he go to bed.

"She called for you while you were downstairs." Jane broke the silence, turning to him suddenly.

"Is she okay?" Will asked, unconsciously taking a step closer.

"She's fallen back asleep." Jane looked back down at her sister. Will frowned at the non-answer, but remained silent. After another ten minutes, however, Charles finally spoke up.

"We should probably take shifts, so we all don't fall asleep." He said, voicing what was on everyone's mind. "Jane and I could stay with her until four."

Will checked his watch. It was just past one now.

"I'll take the first shift." He said. He saw Jane hesitate, not moving or answering for a full minute before she finally leaned down and kissed Lizzy's flushed forehead.

"Come and get me the minute you even think about getting sleepy. Or if she asks for me. Or if you need any help." Jane instructed, standing.

"I will." He promised, relieved she was allowing him to stay with her sister.

Jane reached out to squeeze Will's shoulder, then let Charles lead her through the connecting door and into her own room. As soon as Will heard the door close firmly behind them, he pulled the chair as close to the bed as he could get it, then resumed his Lizzy-watching.

Despite the mundane act of sitting in one spot for a long period of time, Will did not feel the least bit drowsy, even after an hour passing with no change from Lizzy.

At an hour and ten minutes, however, Lizzy began to stir again. She mumbled something Will couldn't decipher, and reached out a hand from underneath the sheet.

"Lizzybeth." Will whispered, taking her wayward hand in his.

"Will?" she murmured. Will couldn't tell if her voice was slurred from sleep, or if the drugs were still in affect.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Dizzy." She replied, blinking heavily.

"I heard if you put your leg on the floor it helps orient yourself." He suggested.

Lizzy immediately began kicking her leg free from the sheet. Will remembered exactly what she had on underneath the sheet, guessed she wouldn't want to give him a show if she was in the right state of mind, and put a hand out to still her.

With very controlled moves and, he suspected, a very red face, Will grasped her ankle and set it gently on the floor. A large part of her bare leg was exposed, but he suspected it was a lot less than what would have been, had she succeeded in kicking off the sheet entirely.

"Better?" He asked.

"Yeah…" she replied hazily, gazing up at him. "I think I'm going to throw-up." she told him calmly.

"Shall I… get Jane?" he asked hesitantly. She shook her head. "Erm… do you want to go to the bathroom?"

"Not really." She replied, still in the same voice. Will was running out of options.

"This is a little weird, isn't it?" she asked.

"What is?" he asked. He was debating running to get a bucket and so the question threw him slightly.

"This." She gestured clumsily between them, and then laughed. Will was glad to see the overly calm expression melt away. "We've known each other- what? A month?"

"About." Will replied, because she was waiting for one.

"We made_-_out twice-" she went on, but Will interrupted her.

"We've kissed more than twice." He said, slightly affronted.

"Yes." She nodded heavily. "But we only _made-out_ twice. And here I am, in your bed. Well, not _your_ bed… but you _do_ own it..." She looked down at the sheet that was barely covering her. "And in my underwear."

Will was trying very hard to keep up with her, but he had no idea what she was getting at, if she even had a point. "And?"

"_And_ we've only known each other a month. Neither of us are the friendly type, either." She replied, turning her head slightly upwards when the reflecting lights on the ceiling caught her eye.

"Do you still need to throw up?" Will asked, trying to steer her back to the subject he could actually follow.

"No." she replied, back to the calm tone, her eyes not leaving the ceiling.

Will didn't know whether to believe her or not and had a feeling that Jane would want to be fetched, now that Lizzy was awake enough to be having an actual conversation. However distorted her musings were.

"Hey Will?" she pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm sorry." She replied, surprising him with the amount of feeling in her voice.

"You are?" he asked, trying to figure out what she was apologizing for and slightly distracted by the appearance of tears in her eyes.

"Yeah. I'm such a bitch." She said, blinking hard.

"You are not." He replied sharply and she laughed a little at his taking offence at her self-deprecation.

"I am. Especially to you, especially lately." She grimaced.

"Elizabeth, it's alright." He replied uncomfortably.

"No it's not." She snapped, finally turning to him. "It's _not _alright, Will. You've been the sweetest- the nicest person and I-"

"Was it nice when I broke Charles and Jane up?" he asked with abhorrence. She sat up awkwardly, clutching the sheet to her chest. Will remembered suddenly that she was still feeling the affects of the rohypnol.

"And what did you do when you realized you were wrong? You told Charles the truth and brought him here to make am... to make ame..." She frowned, struggling with trying to say the word 'Amends'. "To make-up with Jane. And what did _I_ do when I realized _I_ was wrong?"

"You…" he hesitated, realizing suddenly that he wasn't even sure what she was apologizing for. Treating him badly- that much was obvious. But in what way? For ignoring him when Bobby showed up? Or for leading him on when she was already in a relationship with Bobby?

"I acted like a little baby- I fought with you, and then left with Bobby just to spite you." She scowled, answering her own question.

"Elizabeth…" he hedged, reaching over to place his hand on her shoulder, because she was swaying slightly. "Maybe you should lay back down."

"Damnit Will, stop being so _nice _to me." Instead of the sharp tone he had expected, she had sounded like she was pleading with him. This just further installed in him a fear that what she was really pleading for was to not have to let him down easy.

"Will." She gripped his forearm suddenly. "I think I'm going to throw up this time."

''Okay," He said gently, then pulled her out of bed and carried her the short distance to the bathroom, where he set her down next to the toilet. He eased down next to her, his legs on either side of her, and her shoulder came to rest against his chest. He remembered suddenly- how he could forget he hadn't a clue- that she was still decidedly underdressed, and now didn't even have a flimsy sheet to cover her.

"Are you cold?" he asked her, slightly uncomfortable. He was right up against her and looking pointedly at the top of her head.

"Yeah, actually…" She looked down at herself in confusion, realized her lack of clothing and blushed. She brought her knees up and hugged them to her chest in a feeble manner to cover herself.

Will immediately tugged his shirt off- it was gray and well warn, one of his favorites- and pulled it over her head. She slipped into it gratefully.

"Thanks." She whispered, tugging the shirt down as far as it would go. She was grateful he was so tall - the shirt almost covered her knees. "Maybe it was a false alarm."

"It's okay. We can stay until you feel better." He replied, rubbing her back.

''Ugh,'' She groaned. ''That could be awhile."

She tilted her head, which had been almost leaning against the toilet until now, onto Wills chest. He brought his hand up to run through her tangled curls, then leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Will felt her sigh in return.

They stayed in this position until Will felt Lizzy's breaths come deep and even. Looking down, he confirmed his suspicions- Lizzy had fallen asleep again. Will's mouth twitched in a smile before he stood, Lizzy in his arms, and made his way back to her bed.

As he placed her back in bed and pulled the sheet over her, Will was relieved to notice that her skin had lost the flushed tinge to it.

He gazed down at her while she slept. Her frowning mouth was slightly ajar, and her hand was curled into a fist that lay next to her cheek. When he set her down, though, she shifted, sighed and her face relaxed into a kind of smile. Will felt his heart swell at the sight.

"Fitz,'' Georgiana's whispered voice startled him violently and he turned to see her in the door way.

"What are you doing up this late?'' He asked, still recovering from the start she gave him. ''What's wrong?" For he had just seen the look on her face.

"There are people here-at the door." she said, eyes wide.

''People?" He questioned. Who would be here this late?

"Yes - police, I think." she explained.

"Police?" he questioned, eyebrows raised. He went to the doorway, and then glanced back at Lizzy's sleeping form. ''Get Jane up, tell her to watch Lizzy."

''Watch Lizzy?" Georgiana asked, brow furred in question as she gazed back at the bed. Will didn't reply, knowing that even though his sister didn't understand, she would do as he asked. He hurried downstairs.

As he reached the landing, he heard voices coming from the front hallway, confirming what Georgiana told him.

''Mr. Darcy is not to be disturbed, sir. If you will come back at a decent hour, I'm sure he will be glad to speak to you." he heard Mrs. Reynolds say sharply to someone.

"I'm very sorry to inconvenience him, but I'm afraid I'll have to speak to him now." a voice replied in a gruff manner.

"What seems to be the problem?" Will interrupted them, coming around the corner. He realized belatedly that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and it was a little hard to look intimidating standing half naked in front of the police- but Will did his best to pull it off.

"Mr. Darcy. I'm sorry to have to bother you so late, sir, but we've had a complaint." The officer looked down at the note pad he held in his hands. "Is there a Bobby Taggart and Elizabeth Bennet staying here?"

"What's this about a complaint?" Will asked, stalling. Mrs. Reynolds slipped away quietly.

"I'm sorry, sir – I'll need to talk to them. Are they here?" he asked again. Will crossed his arms and gave his most disdainful look.

"You wake me and my staff up at three o'clock in the morning, demand to speak to two of my guests and refuse to even tell me the reason." He said, feeling slightly relived at the sheepish look on the young officers face.

"I'm sorry sir, but we have a man in the hospital and witness who says Robert Taggart is the man who put him there." He replied.

"I see. And the reason you also demand to speak with Elizabeth Bennet?" he questioned.

"Well, sir… the, er, witness seemed to think they were in league together." The officer replied, squirming as if he just realized how weak that sounded.

"In league together." He repeated in a clipped tone of voice. "So this witness, who supposedly saw the whole thing, told you it that not only did Robert Taggart attack someone, but that Elizabeth Bennet – what? Somehow orchestrated it? This so-called bias witness wouldn't happen to _know_ Miss Bennet or Mr. Taggart, would they?" Will asked with feigned innocent curiosity.

"Well, when I asked him how he could identify the attacker by name, he did mention that these two are somewhat famous. Musicians of some kind, I'm told." The officer replied awkwardly.

"And was this you're only witness the attack?" Will asked.

"Yes, sir." He replied, a little unsure as to why that should matter.

"And did it occur to you that maybe this one witness, who, again, just so happened to not only see the attack, but identify the attacker by name and profession, could just be some kind of disgruntled fan?" Will asked slowly.

"That… That's why I wanted to speak with Mr. Taggart and Miss Bennet- to uh, clear it up." The officer stammered.

"And it couldn't wait until a decent hour? What did the man who was attacked say?" Will asked, eyes narrowed.

"Well…" the young man looked very uncomfortable. "He says he tripped down some stairs. But he's obviously lying, sir. There's no doubt he was in a fight."

"So the man doesn't even say he was attacked, but you take this witness's word that he was, _and_ that he knows who did it." Will said, frowning. The officer declined to comment.

"And how exactly did you find out where they were staying so fast?" Will wondered. The policeman frowned.

"The witness told us." He mumbled.

"I see." Will replied simply. "I assume I can let my guests sleep, then, as you go back and re-examine your witness. If you still have further questions for them, you may have your _captain_ call me and we'll setup an interview." Will said, then turned and walked back towards the stairs, leaving the officer to let himself out.

Will heard the door close just as he rounded the corner, and almost slammed into a figure that was obviously eavesdropping. Thinking it was a member of the staff, Will opened him mouth to tell them off, but stopped when he realized that it was Bobby, leaning heavily against the wall and holding his side tenderly.

"Ho-ly shit." Bobby said, awe clear in his voice. "That was… that was…" But he trailed off, apparently not able to find a sentiment that fit.

"What are you doing up?" Will asked, eyeing him warily.

"I heard the commotion. I can't believe you just told the _police_ to come back when it was more convenient." He replied with a growing smile.

"Would you rather I had let them arrest you?" Will asked, slightly affronted.

"No way, man." Bobby used his free hand to slap Wills shoulder in a friendly manner. "Thanks again."

Will shrugged, slightly uncomfortable.

Bobby appraised him a second longer. "You're alright in my book." And with that surprising statement, Bobby turned to return to his room and Will returned back upstairs.

"Hey," he greeted as he re-entered Lizzy's room. Jane was awake, and so was Charles. Georgiana was standing in the background, looking slightly uncomfortable.

''What happened?" Jane asked. ''Georgiana said the police are here."

''They were." Will replied simply. "How is she?"

"She seems okay." Jane replied. "Her skin isn't so flushed anymore-but she's still sleeping."

"She woke up briefly awhile ago- I think the drugs are starting to wear off." Will said.

"What did the police say?" Jane asked after a pause.

"Not much." he replied. He didn't want to worry Jane unnecessarily. From the look on her face, though, she wasn't buying it. Will sighed.

"They were looking for Bobby." He finally said, deciding to at least leave the part about Lizzy out. "I told them to come back tomorrow."

Jane's expression mirrored Bobby's. "You told the _police_ to come back tomorrow?" she echoed disbelievingly.

Will shrugged. He guessed it did sound kind of incredulous; but he was the most prominent man on the island, at the risk of sounding egotistical, and not many people took what he said lightly.

"Well," Charles said, a little smile on his face to show his amusement. "I guess that's one less thing we'll have to worry about."

Will had a feeling he was about to be kicked out, so he turned to his sister. "Come on, Georgiana. I'll walk you back to your room."

"Thanks for watching her, Fitz." Jane said just as they reached the door.

"No problem." Will replied, meaning it. "If you need anything- come and get me." '_Or if she asks for me.'_ He added silently, but didn't have the courage to say it aloud.

"We will." Jane replied, a small smile on her face. ''Night, Georgiana."

While Georgiana exchanged goodnights with Jane and Charles, Will gave one last glance at the sleeping figure in the bed. Then he led his sister out of Lizzy's room and down the hallway, towards her own.

"What happened to Lizzy, Fitz?" Georgiana asked tipping her head to the side to gaze at him as they walked. However shy she was around others, she was always open and frank with her brother.

"She…" Will hesitated.

He knew if he told Georgiana what happened she would keep it to herself, but he still debated whether he should tell her the whole story. In the end, though, it just spilled out of him. Georgiana was ten years younger than him, but they were always close. Besides Charles, she was the one he went to when he needed to vent, or needed someone to bounce ideas off of. It was the same for her- she trusted in her older brothers wisdom on any problem she went to him for.

"Poor Lizzy," Georgiana lamented when he finished his rather edited version of the story. There were _some_ things he didn't want his little sister hearing about, however close they were.

"She should be better in the morning." Will said, to himself as much as to her.

"Is that why the police were here?'' she asked as they reached her room. "Did they find the man responsible?"

"They did." he answered truthfully. He knew she would either hear the whole story from someone else or figure it out for herself though, so he explained what Bobby had done.

''Good for him." Georgiana said with a grin. Will's mouth twitched.

''Georgiana." He admonished.

''Well, I'm sorry. But that guy deserves it, doesn't he?"

''Try and get some sleep." he kissed the top of her head affectionately.

"You too." she replied smiling, then paused, looking like she wanted to say more. "I really like Lizzy, Will."

"Yeah," Will smiled in spite of himself. "So do I."


	19. Explanations

_Kate, check6, Azeali(thanks for letting me know about the no PM rule!) rubic-cube, ffaholic, cancat90, unknown, LawisJustice, Sophie, Mara look-a-like, abster15, Randomisation, sinematik, riotgirllina, LaLumacca, Shadowsndust, hug, Gentileschi, claire, Sobee1982, Passer Deliciae, Soph, and Arica_

Thanks for the wonderful reviews and your patience!

Okay, after so long a hiatus, this chapter should be 20 pages long, but I figured 8 pages is better than none at all. I did have writers block for a while (not to mention other dramas going on that didn't really give me a chance to write) but I'm happy to report that I'm back and in the story mode. :) So I just hoped I didn't lose you guys and that you enjoy the new chap!

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen  
**_Explanations_

Will tossed and turned the rest of the night, perpetually halfway between sleep and awake. He thought of  
Lizzy, and he thought of Bobby. He tried not to think of Lizzy _and _Bobby, but occasionally those thoughts  
popped in as well.

Mostly, though, his thoughts turned to what Lizzy had said -about them being weird. How they had only  
known each other a month - had only made-out, which was apparently _not _the same as just kissing, twice,  
and… what had she said? Something about neither of them being the friendly type?

Will shook his head and turned on his side. It was much easier to decipher her apology. Although Will was  
still a little unsure of the way she worded it, he was grateful she felt there was a _need_ to apologize. He did  
have a habit of brooding, and he had been afraid he'd over-reacted. Will sighed.

He had a feeling that he wouldn't have answers until he had a drug free conversation with Lizzy. It amazed  
him, when he happened to really think about it, how much Lizzy was in his thoughts. From the first moment  
he had laid eyes on her, she was almost all he thought about. Never had a woman- had anyone, really-  
occupied his mind in such a way. He supposed it should worry him, but he was too far gone to do  
anything about it now.

He knew, despite his uncertainties about the whole 'Bobby situation', that she liked him. Maybe not as much  
as he liked her- somehow he couldn't imagine her every thought- or very near every- being about him. Did she  
long to see his smile as much as he did hers? Just seeing it was something, but to be the cause of it, to make  
her laugh or, better yet, to elicit a smile out of her by just walking into the room- it was enough to make his day.

And although couldn't really judge if she smiled more or less when he was around, he had the impression that  
it was more. It certainly seemed like she was smiling more since he'd first met her.

At around seven, he gave up any attempt at sleeping and wondered out to the kitchen to have some breakfast,  
just trying to kill time until it wasn't too early to go see Lizzy. He wondered how she faired the rest of the night,  
and if she was still feeling the affects of the drug.

After rustling around in the kitchen and realizing he didn't really feel like eating anyway, he decided to forgo  
politeness and headed upstairs.

He knocked lightly, pushing the not-quite-closed door open fully. Charles was sleeping at an impossible angle,  
his head leaning on his hand, which was propped up on the desk. Jane turned to him when he entered the room  
from where she was still sitting on the bed her sister was sleeping in.

"How is she?" Will asked in a whispered voice.

"Very apologetic." Jane gave a tired smile. "On the bright side, though, at least I know what happened to my  
favorite blue sweater."

Will laughed a little louder than he anticipated and as a result, woke Charles up. "Whatsamatter?"

"Come on Charles," Jane said with a sweet smile. "Lets go get some breakfast." Charles stretched his arms up  
as he stood, his back cracking with satisfaction. "You'll watch her?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course." He replied, eyes already straying to the bed. Jane and Charles shared a smile on the way out.

"Hey, Elizabeth." Will whispered, pulling the chair Charles vacated close to the bed.

"Hey." She replied sleepily, shocking him. A grin was immediately tugging at her lips, and she cracked an eye to catch  
his reaction.

"I didn't know you were up." He said slightly sheepishly.

"I figured." She replied, struggling to sit up. "Ugh. I feel like I got hit by a truck." She leaned back against the  
pillows, sighing heavily.

"Do you… do you remember what happened last night?"

Lizzy winced, thinking he was making a reference to their fight. She hadn't apologized yet, but she took it as a  
good sign that he was at least here talking to her.

"At 109?" he prompted.

"The club?" she questioned, surprised.

Will wasn't even there… was he? She had a brief flash- an almost memory; they were standing together in the  
middle of a crowd of dancing people- he had been holding her very close. Will hadn't even come with them,  
though, and Lizzy surmised that she must have just dreamed it. The image was certainly fuzzy enough to be a  
dream.

She furred her brow in thought. "No…" she finally replied slowly, then suddenly grinned. "Why? Did I get  
embarrassingly drunk? Please tell me I didn't say or do something I'm going to regret."

Will didn't reply. He was trying to think of a gentle way to tell her what happened, but Lizzy took it to mean  
that she _had_ done something embarrassing.

Now she _really_ strained to remember the previous night. She remembered the fight with Will, then leaving to  
go to the club. She got her drink- her first of many, apparently. There was a pushy guy at the bar and she left  
to get away from him. Then… what? Maybe… maybe Will _had_ shown up, maybe they _did_ dance. God, how  
much did she have to drink?

"So what did I do?" she asked with more humor than she felt. "I didn't like, throw up in your car or anything  
did I?"

"No." he assured her, because she looked like she was bout to panic. "Elizabeth, I have to tell you something  
about last night."

His serious attitude was doing nothing to calm her. What the hell had she done? And what possessed her to  
drink so much that she blocked the whole night out? '_Bobby_.' she told herself. '_This __has _got _to be Bobby's  
fault_.' He was always partying hard, and if anyone could get her to drink so much it would be him – especially  
in the mood she was in last night.

"This would be a lot easier if you remembered anything from last night." He said with a nervous laugh.

Lizzy frowned. She pulled herself up so she was more in a sitting position than lying down and tugged the sheet  
a little more securely over…

_'Oh. My. God.'_ Lizzy thought, heart pounding and eyes bugging out. Will's shirt. She was wearing _Will's shirt_ – and  
not much else. '_Ohmygodohmygodohmygod_…'

"What's wrong?" Will asked, concerned at seeing her expression. "Do you remember something?"

She shook her head, still staring at what she was wearing. "What happened last night?" she asked, he voice  
barely above a whisper.

"Let's start with what you remember." Will countered.

'_I certainly don't remember anything that would leave me wearing nothing but your shirt._' She wanted to  
reply, but held her tongue.

"I remember going to the club," she said instead, deciding not to remind him of their fight. "I remember getting  
a drink from the bar… there was a guy who was bugging me, so after I finished my drink I went to look for Jane  
and Charles, or Bobby. I couldn't find them…" she trailed off, straining to remember more. "I went to the bathroom,  
I think."

"Then what?" Will asked eagerly.

"Then it gets fuzzy. I think I got sick, but that must have been later, after I drank more." She replied.

"Do you remember drinking more?" Will asked. Lizzy wondered what was with the third degree, and when it was her  
turn to start asking some questions, but didn't comment on it.

"No." she replied. "After going to the bathroom I don't remember much."

She didn't tell him the image she couldn't get out of her head- of them dancing on the floor of the club. Vague images  
of Bobby walking up and shaking her, then Will leading her away. Things so bizarre she must have dreamt them. Still,  
_something_ must have happened if she was sleeping in nothing but his shirt. Not that sleeping with Will was a totally  
foreign idea- but she really just met him, despite the fact that she felt she'd known him forever. And it might have been  
nice to actually _remember_ it happening.

"Are you going to tell me what happened after that first drink?" she asked, her impatience finally winning out.

"I think… we think you were drugged." Will blurted out, and then winced. '_Nice, Will,_' he scolded himself. '_Real tactful_.'

"Drugged?" Lizzy repeated, shocked. All thoughts of whatever might have happened between them last  
night were immediately forgotten. "No, that's impossible."

"After that first drink, which was your only drink by the way, you _did_ start to feel sick. So sick that you called me-  
because you knew something wasn't right. Well, actually you called Jane, Charles and Bobby, but none of them  
could hear or feel their phones ringing." Will explained.

Lizzy was stunned. No matter how hard she tried, though, no more memories came flooding back to her at the news.

"I called you?" she finally asked, struggling to take it in.

"Yes," he nodded. "I realized what had happened, and came and got you."

"You came to the club?" Lizzy asked, distracted. Maybe her memory/dream really did happen. She shook her head-  
there were more important things to worry about now than if she and Will danced last night. But what the hell had  
led to her sleeping in his shirt?

"Yes," Will answered.

"Tell me what happened." Lizzy said with determination.

"That... was about it... I came and got you- told Bobby what had happened- and brought you back here." Will replied,  
not quite meeting her gaze.

"Damn it, Will." she reached up, grabbed his chin and forced him to look her in the eye. "Tell me what happened- I need  
to know, I _deserve _to know. They're my memories and I'll never get them back."

To Will's surprise and Lizzys horror, a tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it away impatiently. She opened her  
mouth to continue, but he brought his hand up to cover hers, still holding his chin.

"Okay, Lizzybeth," Will whispered, effectively cutting her off. "Okay. I'll tell you everything."

And he did. From the moment he got the phone call, to picking her up, to arguing with her about going to the hospital,  
to everything that happened when they got home. He left nothing out- conscious of the fact that a whole night was  
stolen from her and she clearly wanted to know what had happened- the good _and_ the bad.

She was silent for a long time afterwards. So many emotions were running through her and she was trying to sort  
them all out. Horror at what someone had tried to do to her, embarrassment at what she said and how she acted  
around Will. And Will- God what would have happened without him?

"Are you okay?" Will asked, then could have smacked himself._ Of course _she wasn't okay.

"I... I don't know." she replied. ''I mean physically I feel kind of like I have the flu; but... Can I have a few minutes?"

She sounded so apologetic that he smiled to assure her he didn't take it personally.

"Of course. Are you hungry? I can get you something light." he offered, standing.

"Maybe some fruit?" she asked after a pause.

"You got it." he smiled, then reached over to brush the hair out of her eyes in what was quickly becoming a familiar  
gesture. Before he could withdraw, though, Lizzy surprised him by pulling him down to her level so she could wrap  
her arms around his neck.

"Thanks Will." she whispered into his ear.

"Hey, if this is the reaction I always get, I'll bring you breakfast every morning,'' he grinned, returning the embrace.  
She laughed despite the fact that she was just on the verge of tears.

"I mean it." she said, hugging him tighter. "If you hadn't been there..."

"But I _was _there." he replied seriously. "I'll be there _any_ time you ask me for help." He felt her smile into his neck.

"I'd kiss you, but I think I better brush my teeth first." She replied, gaining a laugh from him in return.

"I'll hold you to that." He said, pulling back to place a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back."

She let her eyes trail after him while he walked out, smile never leaving her face. After he was out of sight, however,  
she made an effort to collect her thoughts. She tried once more to summon up any kind of memory of last night, now  
that she had a play by play of what happened from Will.

After several minutes of straining, though, she was no better off. The last thing that was even close to a memory she  
had was the fuzzy image of holding onto- not dancing with- Will. He had explained what had been going on when  
Bobby came up and shook her and she had instantly felt guilty for automatically blaming her best friend for what she  
thought was a night of drunken debauchery.

Will the grunt of frustration, Lizzy reached up and ran her hands roughly through her tangled hair. Her curls, unruly at  
the best of times, were just one big mess and she wished she had had a chance to tame them a bit before Will had seen  
it. Though, from what he told her last night, he'd already seen a worse side of her, so it didn't really matter.

Grimacing at that thought, Lizzy tossed off her covers and stood unsteadily. She grabbed a comfortable outfit and  
made her way to the bathroom. She felt weak, but wanted to wash the night off of her and so decided to take a  
shower. She made sure she had everything she would need before locking herself in the bathroom- Will would no  
doubt be back with breakfast before she finished and she didn't want the embarrassment of walking out in just a  
towel, on top of everything else.

She made the shower quick, but spent almost the same amount of time brushing her teeth as she did washing her  
hair. Despite only having one drink, her mouth felt as dry and sour as if she'd been knocking them back all night.

Next she loaded some leave in conditioner into her hair and began the lengthy and tedious task of brushing it out.  
This was the main reason she kept her locks at shoulder length, and often times just put it up to not have to deal  
with it. A girly-girl she was not. Still- it felt good to brush it all out and leave it down to dry.

Lizzy finally made her way back into her room when she was showered and dressed. She'd just thrown on a  
sleeveless white top and a dark blue pair of jeans. The jeans she suspected must have belonged to Jane, as she  
had to roll the cuffs up. Jane was about three inches taller than Lizzy, so anything she "borrowed" from her sister  
always needed a little adjustment to fit right.

"Hey." Will greeted with a smile, sitting on the edge of her newly made bed and holding a tray of an assortment  
of fruits.

"Hey." She returned the greeting and the smile, making her way to the bed to join him.

"Feel better?" he asked, holding the tray up to offer her some.

"I do." She grabbed a piece of strawberry and slid back onto the bed. The shower had refreshed her, but she still  
felt wiped out, and told Will so.

"You should get some sleep." He said with a concerned look.

"I'm not tired enough to sleep." She pouted, giving his shirtsleeve a tug because he looked as if he were about  
to rise. "Stay and keep me company?" He grinned at the request and agreed readily.

They sat and talked about nothing in particular while they munched on the fruit platter Will brought. Lizzy both  
wanted to discuss the previous night and forget it altogether, and Will just wanted to discuss whatever made  
Lizzy most comfortable.

After about a hand-full of food, however, Lizzy began to look a little green and she turned away from the plate.

"Are you okay?" Will asked, rubbing her shoulder.

"Yeah," she said taking a deep breath as she hugged her stomach. "Maybe I shouldn't have eaten anything."

"I'll get you something." Will said, standing.

"It's okay." She shook her head. "I think I'll lay back down, though." She handed him the plate of food before  
stretching out on the bed.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Will asked, a worried expression on his face as he kneeled down to be  
at eye level with her. He put the platter of food down next to him and used his free hand to go through the newly  
familiar motion of running through Lizzy's hair. His heart flutter when her eyes softened as she momentarily  
forgot her discomfort to offer him a smile.

"Yeah, I do." She replied, eyes twinkling as she took hold of the collar on his shirt and pulled him willingly  
towards her. They kissed briefly, and when he pulled back slightly she ran her fingers over his cheek, down to  
his neck, across his forehead and through his hair.

He smiled throughout this process, mentally storing the image of her as she memorized his face. Afraid to break  
the spell, he kept his hands still; but he in turn took in every detail of her face. Learned every freckle, and how  
her hair refused to stay out of her eyes. He didn't know how she felt about it, but he liked having an almost  
constant excuse to touch her.

Her hand went behind his neck and she pulled him to her once more. The kiss was slow and sweet- relaxed. In  
the back of his mind he thought of her comment on kissing verses making out, and he wondered what this  
would constitute as. He decided that, whether or not they kissed more than they made out, two was far to low  
a number and he made it his priority to raise it to something more substantial.

"Don't take this the wrong way." She whispered, focusing him again. "But I'm about to fall asleep on you."

"Sounds like a plan to me." He replied, wiggling his eyebrows and eliciting a soft laugh from her. She kissed him  
again, then relaxed back onto the bed as he drew back further.

"I'll come back and check up on you in a bit, and I'm sure Jane'll be in soon as well." He said, picking up the  
half empty plate and standing fully.

"Mmm. Plenty of babysitters then." Lizzy grinned sleepily.

"You know it. Sleep tight." He smiled down at her, then turned to leave.

"Will." She once again stopped him before he could step away, this time grabbing his hand.

"Yeah?" he questioned. She started to say something, then paused.

"Thanks." She said simply, but brought his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles.

"Your welcome." He replied, grinning widely. He knew he must look like a love stuck teenager, but he didn't care.  
She was smiling back at him, and that's all that mattered.

* * *

There you go. :) I hope you liked it, I tried to put in as much Lizzy/Will as possible to make up for the long time frames between updates. Let me know what you think and feel free to yell at me for taking so long- I can always use the incentive to update sooner, lol. 


	20. Bed news and happy endings

Authors note: Hey everyone! I know its been forever and I really, really, _really_ appreciate everyone's encouragement and patience with me.

I know you've been wondering where I've been so I'll give you the short version so you can go on to the story.

When I was about 3/4ths of the way through writing this chapt my computer totally crashed. I lost everything. I had my other chapters on disk, of course, but hadn't backed this one up yet. So Between getting my computer back up and the discouragement I felt losing the chapt and having to write it all out again, it's, obviously, taken me awhile to update. But every time I got a new review, it goaded me into writing alittle more until I finally, after just under four months, made myself sit down and write this out already, lol. And who knows, maybe it came out better than it was the first time I wrote it.

So, again thank you all** _so so so so_** much for you're support in my loooong hiatus. And I really hope you enjoy this chapter- I also tried to make it as long as I could, while trying to get it online as fast as I could, lol. Please let me know what you think.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**  
_Bad news and happy endings._

Lizzy didn't know how long she'd been asleep. She still felt wiped out, but the sun was much lower in the  
sky- it was almost dark out. She stretched her arms and back, listening for the sound that woke her. The  
house felt unnaturally quiet.

As accustomed to sleeping in unfamiliar places as she was, Lizzy grew up in house with three younger sisters  
and always got a little unnerved when it was too quiet. It was possible, then, that a lack of noise was enough  
to wake her from the dead sleep she had succumbed to. But no, there it was again-

It sounded like it was coming from Jane's room. There was the scuffle of her steps walking back and forth and  
a rustling sound from her closet. Lizzy guessed she was pacing around trying to find something to wear – another  
date with Charles perhaps?

Interest piqued, she tossed off her covers and jumped out of bed. A half second later she sat back down from  
the protest her head and stomach had given her at the sudden movement.

She took a deep breath and, when her head didn't feel so fuzzy and her stomach had quieted down, tried standing  
again. This time, when she took it slowly and carefully, she was able to stand without backfire. She then walked  
gingerly to the door that connected her room with her sisters.

"Jane?" Lizzy called out when she didn't immediately see her.

"Lizzy? Are you okay?" Jane questioned, appearing from the bathroom with a worried expression on her face.

"I'm fine." Lizzy assured her, thinking uncomfortably about the dizzy spell she just had.

"Sit down here." Jane instructed, making a space on the bed. It looked like Jane's whole closet exploded;  
landing mostly on the bed but Lizzy also saw piles on chairs.

"What's all this?" She looked around at the disaster area that used to be her sisters spotless room and  
noticed that Jane had her hands full of makeup and hair products. This seemed a little extreme for preparing  
for a date, and Lizzy was glad she showed up when she did. Jane appeared to be just a little stressed out.

"Well, school starts in two weeks. I've got all my assignment prepared, but they require a roll call in two days  
to make sure everyone is on the same page. I called and told them I had a family emergency, and that I might  
not be there in time…" As Jane rambled on, Lizzy realized belatedly what was going on. She wondered if she  
was just slow catching on or if it was a residual effect from the drugs still coursing through her system. She  
hoped it was the latter.

"You're going back home?" Lizzy interrupted. She wondered how she could have missed the sight of Jane's  
laptop put away and leaning against the open suitcase.

"We won't leave until you're up for the trip." Jane hastened to explain. "I sent my papers through the email  
and they know me well enough that I could miss the meeting." She paused, eyeing Lizzy as she let it sink in.

Lizzy had been disappointed that Jane had to go, but she knew it would happen soon. It was that fact that  
she expected Lizzy to go with her that was worrying her. What would Will say? Or did Jane already tell him?  
She couldn't stay here forever, of course, but she hadn't expected to leave so suddenly or so soon.

"What about-" _Will_, she had been about to say, but froze at the last minute and finished belatedly with "Charles?"

Jane turned and began storing her toiletries into the suitcase. "Charles knew this would happen, that I would  
have to go back. It was nice to… mend things, but it's not like I can stay here forever. Anyway, we're taking  
thing much slower than… before."

"Oh." Was all she could come up with, and slowly at that. Jane eyed her critically. She had been expecting her  
sister to talk excitedly about how Charles could come back with them, since he'd flowed to their shows after  
meeting Jane in New York.

"Are sure you're feeling okay- under the circumstances, I mean." She asked suspiciously.

"My head's still a little fuzzy." Lizzy admitted, lest she realize the real reason Lizzy was so distracted. "When  
do we have to leave?"

"As soon as you feel up to it." Jane replied, still shifting through things that still needed to be packed.

"I'm going to head downstairs." Lizzy announced, her mind focused on finding Will.

"Don't worry about your stuff, I'll pack it all up for you." She offered as Lizzy stood carefully.

"Thanks." She mumbled half heartedly as she continued downstairs. If Jane noticed that she was less than  
excited about the news, she didn't show it.

She found Will in the kitchen, frowning over sliced ham in one hand and chicken in the other.

"Hey." His face brightened into a smile when he saw it was her. "You're up. I was just making some sandwiches  
to take up, incase you were getting hungry."

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked curiously, leaning back against the counter.

"A few hours." He shrugged, and then held up the ham in chicken in a silent question. Lizzy pointed to the ham  
and Will nodded, tossing the chicken back into the fridge. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a log," Lizzy smiled. "I think I was asleep before you even left."

She had planned on diving right in when she saw him, but now that she faced him she couldn't find the words.  
What would he say? What would he do? She could easily see Charles following Jane back home, but Will? Even  
if he could get away from work, she doubted he would. She knew he liked her, of course, but he didn't seem to  
be the type that would go running after a girl he essentially just met.

"I, uh, should probably tell you…" Will started. He had been occupied with making the sandwiches while she had  
her internal conversation, but now he half turned to her as he finished up. "The police came by last night."

"The police?" Lizzy asked, confused. "For what?"

Will told her what had happened and what was said.

"Bobby, Bobby, Bobby…" she shook her head with a rueful smile. "I can't take him anywhere."

She was taking the news much better than Will had expected. Before he could comment on it, however, she  
closed the distance between them. He had just cut one of the sandwiches in half, and moved to do the same to  
the other.

"Wait." She stilled his hand before could. "Cut it like this." She took his hand and turned the knife slightly so he  
was cutting it diagonal instead of straight across.

"It makes a difference?" he asked, smiling down at her. He was just saying anything to prolong the experience of  
having her so near.

"Of course it does." She answered with false exasperation. "Triangles are better than squares."

"Uh huh." He replied. "And how old are you?"

She smacked his shoulder, took the better sandwich and walked to the dining room, Will right on her heels.

"Is that anyway to thank me?" he pouted. He was joking, of course, but she looked slightly sheepish. She stood  
on her toes and kissed him on the corner of mouth.

"Thanks." She grinned. He, in turn, leaned down and kissed her back.

"You're welcome." He replied, eyes dancing.

"Ugh. You guys are disgustingly sweet." A voice said from the doorway. "And I mean that literally. I think  
I just threw up a little bit in my mouth."

"Gross, and you say _we're_ disgusting?" Lizzy shot back, sitting down next to Will.

"You are." He assured her, sitting across from them with a satisfied sigh. "On another note, I _love_ this town.  
They are totally star struck. I think I could eat free here for the rest of my life."

"You've been out?" Will asked, surprised. "And you weren't mobbed?"

Bobby grinned. "I'm just a mere drummer. Liz's the one whose face is plastered on every magazine, but only  
the _true_ fans recognize me."

"My face is _not_ plastered on every magazine." Lizzy replied indigently.

"At any rate…" Bobby, wisely, chose not to keep goading her. "I'm feeling like a movie tonight- you guys  
up for it?"

Lizzy knew she had to talk to Will before he heard she was leaving from someone else, and if tonight was  
there last night together, for awhile at least, she didn't want to share him with anyone.

"I think after last night it'd be better if I stayed in." She said with a small laugh. "You should go, though."

Bobby gave her a look, and Lizzy was sure he would call her on whatever she was trying to hide, but after  
a pause, he just shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He grinned, lifting himself out of the chair gingerly. Lizzy realized he must still be hurting  
from the fight, but knew him enough not to call attention to it. "I'll catch up with you guys later than."

Will and Lizzy finished their light dinner in a comfortable silence. After they washed the two dishes they  
used, they retreated back into the living room. Lizzy, for one, was grateful it was empty. She knew Caroline  
was lurking around somewhere and had no doubt she'd pop in sooner rather than later.

"Will, listen," She started, grabbing his arm and turning his to face her before they sat on the couch. She  
figured she'd just jump in and get it over with now that she had the chance to be alone with him. He turned  
to her, a questioning look in his eyes but a small smile still on his face and she faltered.

"What is it?" he asked in a bemused sort of way, when she failed to continue.

She tried to focus on what she had to tell him, but all she could think about was how much she'd come to  
love his smile; and his eyes, and especially the dimple on his check when he smiled. She also loved the  
way he looked at her and how, whenever a shy mood struck him he'd bow his head slightly and look at her  
through his eyelashes.

He was watching her watch him now, not pressing her to say what she was trying to say, but just waiting  
while she collected her thoughts. She sighed, taking a step forward. His arms automatically went around  
her and she added another item to her growing list.

"Are you okay?" he murmured into her hair. She tilted her head until her face was buried in his neck and  
wrapped her arms around his waist. After enjoying his embrace for as long as she could stand the growing  
silence, Lizzy took a deep breath.

"Will… I know it's kind of sudden, but Jane and I..." she took a half step back, distancing herself from  
him, in more ways than one. "Jane has to start class soon, so we're going to head home."

"Head home?" he echoed, confused. "But… when?"

"Tomorrow probably. She's upstairs packing now." Lizzy replied, feeling more guilt than she expected.

"So that's it? After everything you're just going to up and leave with hardly any notice?" Will asked,  
sounding more angry and accusing than hurt.

"What did you think was going to happen?" Lizzy was never one to stand idly by while someone snapped  
at her. "That I was going to hang around here forever? I've already stayed longer than I was supposed to."

"No, of course not." Will scowled. "I just didn't think-" He stopped himself when he was just short of  
yelling and turned his back to her. She glared at his back until she heard him sigh, and saw his shoulder  
slump. Just like that, the fight went out of her as well, and she closed the gap between them.

"I'm sorry, Will." She whispered into his shoulder. "I know it's sudden, but Jane just told me so it's  
sudden for me too."

"Then stay here." He turned, his eyes looking intently into hers. "I know you can't stay forever, but you  
can stay another month… or, or at least one more week."

His offer sounded tempting, but Lizzy knew the longer she stayed, the harder it would be to leave- besides  
she had a million reasons to go.

"Jane's a lot better, but I don't want to leave her yet. And the trial with Wickham is coming up, I need to  
start preparing with my uncle. Besides- I'm a Rock Star." She smiled, bumping her hip against his to try and  
lighten the mood. "I can't be hiding away on some exotic island. Or not so hidden, as it were."

He smiled, but looked so disappointed that Lizzy blurted out an idea that had been filtering around in the back  
of her mind since Jane told her they were leaving.

"You could come with us." She said hurriedly, before he could interrupt her. "And Charles and Georgiana  
could come too, and Caroline, too I guess." She added with a not-so-enthusiastic look. "We could rent a place  
in Florida, and hang out there. Jane could teach her classes and I could meet with my uncle, and Bobby and I  
could work on our songs and audition for a new bass player…"

The more she tried to convince him, the more excited she got, and the more she though this could actually work.  
She knew, though, by the downcast look in his eyes that it wasn't going to happen.

"This is the busy season for Pemberley. I couldn't get away." He replied disappointment evident in his voice.

After a pause, while they both tried to think of something that could work for both of them and still keep them  
together, Will pulled Lizzy back into his embrace.

As they stood together, Lizzy thought back to the fight they had before she went out to the club. Although  
they were obviously over it, Lizzy never really apologized- or, not while she was sober, anyway.

"Look Will, I'm sorry." she blurted out.

"It's okay- we both knew this would happen eventually-" He stared to say, but she pulled back so she could  
look him in the eye.

"No. For everything. For... kind of ignoring you when Bobby showed up, for being... insensitive with your  
insecurities with him." she struggled to sound coherent. "To answer your question, even if Bobby were  
madly in love with me it wouldn't change how I feel for him. I mean, I guess it would make it a little awkward  
if he were, but... "

Lizzy realized she was rambling and took a deep breath to get back on track. "Will- he's like a brother to me.  
And that's all I see him as, so when you ... you know asked me..."

"If you would like him if he liked you." Will supplied.

"Yeah. It's just that it was..." Lizzy stopped herself.

"A stupid question." Will finished with a not-quite-there smile.

"Not that you were stupid for asking it." Lizzy hasten to say. "It's just... it would be like someone asking if  
you would ever date Georgiana." Will raised his eyebrows at her.

"Well, that's how it is." she said. "That's how out there the idea is to me. Bobby and I are close- he's one of  
my best friends. But that's it."

Will was silent for a minute, so Lizzy went on, thinking she hadn't convinced him. "And I should have told  
you that right away. I just... I don't know. Will, I know I've been ignoring you since he's gotten here and that's  
a total bitch thing to do-"

"Your not a bitch." He broke in, reaching out to grasp shoulder. Lizzy grinned.

"Thank you. But it _was _wrong of me. I was just happy to see him, and I wanted to catch up." She paused.  
"And Bobby likes to wind people up, so when he noticed that you were bothered by him he played it out.  
And I let him, but I... I didn't know it was upsetting you this much."

"It's okay, Elizabeth." Will said with a smile reached his eyes.

"I'm forgiven?" she asked hopefully.

"As long as you forgive me for over-reacting. I know I can get jealous sometimes and I'm sorry too." He said.

"S'okay." She replied with a dismissive shrug. "I think it's kinda cute, actually."

"You do?" he laughed.

"Yeah," she grinned back, thinking about the list she was compiling in her head of all the things about him that  
she loved.

"Well, what do you want to do tonight? Shall we go out? I could get us a table at any restaurant in town-  
whatever you're in the mood for." He suggested, almost brimming with excitement.

"Let's stay in – I don't want to risk anything. Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Lizzy asked, smiling  
at his sudden mood change and happy that he didn't want to mope around on their last night together.

"No." he said, eyes bright with and idea. "I've got something better in mind." he said, pulling her up along with him.

"Ohh... do tell." she said, as he slipped his arm around her and they made their way back down the hallway.  
Lizzy snuggled as close as she could while still walking, revealing in his warmth.

"Can't, it's a surprise." Will replied, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"A good surprise?" she asked, excited.

"A _great_ surprise." he assured her, grinning down at her.

"Okay," he said, turning to face her as they reached the elevators. "Close your eyes."

"Will," she grinned. "I hate to break it to you, but I've seen the inside of an elevator before."

He gave her a look. "Humor me." She shrugged, still smiling, and obeyed.

Although she couldn't see it, he waved a hand in front of her face. "No peeking." he told her.

"Scouts honor." she replied, reaching out her hand to grasp his upper arm. "Just don't let me trip."

"Wouldn't dream of it." he said, and she could hear his smile.

Will backed into the elevator, pulling Lizzy along with him, and hit a button on the side. The doors closed a  
second later and they began to move. When they were securely in the elevator, Lizzy released her hold on  
Will's arm, but slid her hand down to catch his.

Will smiled as he looked down at Lizzy standing with her eyes closed, head slightly tilted up and obviously  
trying to discern which direction they were going in.

Unable to help himself, he leaned down and kissed her. She was surprised at first, but quickly returned it.

"You're sneaking me into an elevator to make out? Well... it's a pretty good surprise. Not a great one, though."  
she quipped when he'd pulled back.

Though she couldn't see it, not that she would understand it if she did, her use of the term 'make-out'  
brought a wide grin to his face.

"This is just getting you _ready _for the surprise." he teased back.

"Reeaaallly?" she asked with a slow smile. "Why Mr. Darcy, I had no idea."

The elevator chose that moment to stop, the doors opening. "Keep 'em closed." he reiterated.

"Yeah, yeah." she replied, still holding his hand with hers and putting her other one out to feel her way out  
of the elevator. When they stepped into the hallway, Will once again began to walk backward so he could steer her.

Though she couldn't see it, he was leading her down a rarely used passage. There were rooms that led  
off the hallway, but they hadn't been used in years. It wasn't exactly covered in cobwebs and peeling  
wallpaper, but it had a very neglected feeling to it. Undeterred, Will led her to the end where there were  
even more stairs.

"Wait here for a minute." he told her, then dropped her hands to turn and walked up the few steps to  
the top, where there was a trap door. Will took a key out of his pocket, unlocked the door, opened it,  
and then went back for Lizzy.

"Where's that draft coming from?" She wondered out loud when she felt him come closer. He took his  
coat off and wrapped it around her.

"Sorry. It'll just be cold for a minute." he promised, then once again grabbed her hands to lead her.  
"Careful- there are about ten steps here."

More confused then ever, Lizzy just followed as he led her up the stairs and through the trap door.  
He left her in one spot again as he re-closed the door behind them, then unlocked another one.

"Okay, in here." he reached out and usher her into another room.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" she asked, at this point burning with curiosity.

"Not just yet." he smiled.

He re-closed this door as well, then went around the room doing little things here and there. It was  
still cold, though Lizzy could tell they were out of the draft again. Still she pulled Will's oversized  
coat tighter around her, breathing his scent in deeply.

"Okay." he said, once again coming back to her. "Almost ready."

He pulled her a few more steps then seemed to hesitate. "Elizabeth- you trust me, right?"

"Of course I do, Will." she replied with an easy smile.

"Okay. Well, I didn't really think this through but... there's a bed here, and well... you'll have to get in." He  
stammered out. Lizzy blushed at what he was implying.

"This is your great surprise?" she asked, hoping to defuse the sudden tension with humor. "This  
doesn't seem like gentlemanly behavior, Mr. Darcy."

"It's not like that." Will was too uncomfortable to joke back. "I mean... trust me, you'll want to get in..."

"That's what they _all_ say." Lizzy laughed, but she _did_ trust him, and so reached a hand out, trying to feel  
for where the bed was.

"Here." Will said, stepping closer.

She could hear him pull the covers down, and then backed her up slowly until the back of her knees  
touched the frame. She sat, taking his coat off and setting to the side before reaching down and slipping  
her shows off. Without the few extra layers of warmth, the cold temperature of the room felt like it was  
seeping into her skin and she hurried under the heavy blankets without anymore comments.

Will took the coat off the bed and slipped it back on, then moved around the room making little noises  
that Lizzy couldn't discern.

"So I'm laying in bed, my eyes closed, and waiting for you... are you sure you're not trying to seduce me?"  
she asked, when it got too quiet for her.

"Elizabeth." he said gruffly.

"I'm just saying." she grinned.

"Okay." he said, this time much closer. "Are you ready?"

"I was _born _ready, baby." she replied.

"Alright. You can open your eyes." Will told her and Lizzy had them open almost before the words left his mouth.

"Oh my god!" she gasped, sitting up in bed. "Oh Will... oh Will this is _amazing_!" Lizzy didn't know  
what she was expecting- but she was sure this was as far from it as she could get.

* * *

Am I mean so mean that I'd put a cliffhanger in after Ive made you wait so long for the new chapter? For your sake, be happy I'm not ;)

* * *

At first glance, Lizzy thought they we're on the roof of Pemberley. She was right; but someone-  
Lizzy guessed Will, or maybe his parents - had somehow constructed a small glass house on top  
of the roof. There was the bed that she was lying in, and a chair and table to either side. The real  
amazing thing though, the part that she was sure the glass house was made for, was the view.

Stars, as far as she could see, and the most she'd even seen at one time in her life. There were no  
city lights to dampen the view and even most of the lights under her, inside the resort, would be  
off at this time.

"It's beautiful." She said simply, tearing her gaze from the sky to look at Will, who was grinning  
from ear to ear.

"You like it then?" he asked unnecessarily.

"I've never seen anything like it." she told him breathlessly, looking back upward.

"That's not all." he said mysteriously, reaching down to the floor. "Watch this."

She heard him pull something and suddenly the roof was moving. It spilt in two, both parts  
separating to give an even better view from above. She saw what looked like metal bars going  
across the roof which the pieces glided along.

"Jesus." she gasped, both at the beauty and the cold. She now realized what he meant when he  
said she'd want to be in the bed. She turned back to Will when the movement of him pulling the  
coat closer to himself caught her eye.

"Will, what are you doing? Get in here before you freeze." She flipped the blankets back to invite  
him in.

"I... I didn't want to make you uncomfor-" he started to say but she cut him off.

"Stop arguing, you're letting all the heat out." she told him and he immediacy shed his shoes  
and coat, and then slipped under with her. There was about two feet of space between them.

They were silent for several minutes, both watching the sky.

"Look! A shooting star." Lizzy pointed excitedly.

"Now you have to make a wish." he told her, turning to smile. She faced him as well, then  
closed her eyes, smiling. When she opened them he was still gazing at her, and she didn't  
break the contact. Despite the circumstances, Will couldn't help but lean over and kiss her.

"I got my wish." she grinned when they broke apart.

"I've… never taken anyone else here." He confessed after a pause. "I mean Georgiana has  
been up here, of course, but… It's mostly been my hideaway."

"And you brought me here?" Lizzy asked, awe in her voice. Will shrugged under the covers.

"I thought you'd like it." He replied simply.

"Thanks, Will." She whispered, not knowing what else to say.

They both turned simultaneously back to the sky.

* * *

Whew - has to be up there in my longest chapters records ;) So, anyway, I hope you like it and I hope that its been- well, probably not worth that wait, but good enough that you're still hanging around. Let me know what you think - and if you _are_ still around :D 


	21. Getting back into things

* * *

Authors notes: I **cannot** believe it's been a year. I just can't. It definitely feels like awhile since I've last updated, but a year? Where the _hell_ does the time go?

There's nothing I can say to apologize enough for leaving you all hanging like that, but I hope you're curiosity in what happens next will be forgiveness enough and all I can say is I'm making a conscious effort to pick the story back up. And, lol, maybe update a little more regularly. All I can promise is that I will never leave this story with no ending.

I do want to say how much you're little bumps every once in awhile helped me. But, I think it was when someone commented on the fact that it had been about a year since I'd last updated that I really took my head out of the clouds and sat down to give this long neglected favorite story of my some much needed attention. I had started going through the story to give the whole story a tweak, but I realized that was project for a later time and what I needed to focus on was putting up a new chapter. So, without further ado, (however much I'd like to keep apologizing) heres the long awaited...

* * *

**Chapter 21  
**_Getting back into things_

Lizzy wasn't really a fan of flying. Maybe it was because she'd never really been anywhere  
until she was eighteen, and the first time she'd even been on an airplane was just a few  
years ago. She liked landing better than takeoff, and short flights weren't too bad. Anything  
longer than three hours, however, and she was ready to climb the walls. The band manager  
had once suggested she take something, to "calm her nerves," but she disliked taking meds  
unless it was absolutely necessary. She had a feeling that recent experiences would make her  
even more wary of them.

She turned her head slightly to look at Jane, who was calmly reading over some papers she  
had faxed over right before they left Pemberley. She was caught between a desperate need  
to talk to her sister and a desperate need to keep her thoughts to herself. She wouldn't even  
know how to start a conversation like that, anyway.

_They had been gazing at the stars in a comfortable silence, but an idea went through Lizzy's  
head, and what was once an easy silence was quickly turning into a brooding one for her. Will  
was unaware of her deep thoughts. He was content in the fact that, at least for now, she was  
with him and they were secluded enough that there was no threat of being interrupted._

_"Will," She almost whispered it, but it was enough to steal his gaze from the stars above them._

_He smiled easily at her, waiting patiently for whatever it was she wanted to say. Now that she  
had his attention, though, she lost her nerve and simply gazed at him. The light was low, but  
there was still plenty of it to see him clearly. The heavy blanket was up to his chin, but the  
outline of his form was enough to remind Lizzy of just yesterday when he was walking around  
in nothing but swimming trunks._

_"What's going thorough that head of yours?" he whispered back to her with a contented smiled  
as he turned so he was on his left side and facing her. She just returned his smile and slid her  
hand behind his neck to pull him towards her. He came willingly and they kissed slowly, as if  
they had all the time in the world. She kissed him with a passion she couldn't express with  
words, and he returned it commensurably._

_As the explored each other, they said nothing beyond the sounds of contentment and pleasure.  
Lizzy felt as if they were in full communication though, and marveled at how they understood  
each other so well after knowing each other for such a short time. She wished she could  
freeze the moment in time, when neither of them had other matters they had to attend to and  
were free to be where they really wanted to be._

_Lizzy came back to herself when Will paused, hovering over her. His eyes were pitch black,  
his usually tame hair was just unruly and he was looking down at her like she was the most  
beautiful and wonderful thing he'd ever seen. She stared, wanting to remember this moment  
for as long as she could._

_"Are you sure?" he asked with an uneven breath._

_Lizzy was once again frozen. She didn't want to say something that would ruin the moment,  
but she wished she could tell him everything she was feeling. In a desperate attempt to  
not over think this, she leaned up to nip at the underside of his skin._

_"I'm sure." She whispered against his skin. "Please, Will. I'm sure."_

_He groaned, capturing her mouth again and then it was all a whirlwind of heat and passion  
and a single moment of sharp pain before the whirlwind started all over again, and it was  
all Lizzy could to to remember where he started and she ended._

"That was fun." Jane's statement brought her back to the present. "Going to the beach almost  
everyday, hanging out- and the cruise. Not a bad way to end my summer vacation."

Lizzy knew Jane was trying to be extra chipper, to hide the fact that shew as going to miss  
Charles; and maybe she was even trying to keep her sisters spirits up, because Lizzy didn't  
have the energy to pretend that leaving Will wasn't affecting her.

"It _was_ fun, wasn't it?" Lizzy asked with something between a smile and a sigh.

"Will's a great guy, Lizzy." Jane said quietly. "Did you know he took me aside and apologized  
for everything that happened with Charles?"

"No." Lizzy said, surprised. "What did he-"

"Ugh," Bobby plopped down in the seat across the aisle from the sisters. "It'll be good to get  
home."

"Yeah." Lizzy replied, turning to lean her head against the glass. "It sure will."

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Lizzy growled.

"Maybe." Bobby agreed, no less frustrated than she was. "But unfortunately, it's necessary."

The pair had been trapped inside all day, listening to audition after audition, but so far no  
one had stood out from the crowd. It wasn't enough to play the bass well enough, but they  
also had to blend perfectly into the band. They would not make the mistake of joining with  
someone who they didn't fully trust.

The VMA show was coming up, however, and they had put off hiring someone for so long.  
So as soon as Lizzy and Bobby returned to the states, their manager called them here and  
was kept them hostage until they choose someone. They needed a bass player, of course,  
but Lizzy and Bobby had a feeling the real reason was to insure the bigwigs that they  
would have a full band to announce come show time.

Lizzy pocket vibrated, and she looked to see who was calling her. Bobby instantly recognized  
the look on her face and called for a five minute break. He snuck off to have a cigarette  
and she wondered off to find a private corner she could conduct her phone call in.

"Hey." she smiled into the phone.

"Hi." a deep voice responded. "I miss you."

Lizzy grinned, too far gone to chide herself. "I miss you too, Will." she whispered instead.

"I slept in our bed last night." he whispered back and she felt a thrill go done her spine at  
his choice of words. "It wasn't the same."

"Oh?" she feigned ignorance. "I wonder what could have been different. Did you open the  
room up? Maybe you weren't cold enough."

He laughed huskily. "I wasn't very cold when you were there, was I?"

"No." she both grinned and blushed at the memory. "You weren't."

He sighed into the phone before he said, "The sheets are starting to loose your smell."

She averted from the sexy and romantic way she was speaking without thought. "Gross!"  
she laughed cheerfully. "You better wash those sheets before I come back, Will."

She didn't know it, but he had a similar thrill go down his spine at her matter-of-fact way of  
letting him know she was already thinking about coming back to him.

"As soon as you're on your way." He smiled into the phone.

"Liz." Bobby gestured to her and she nodded.

"I have to go." she sighed so he knew how much she wished the could keep talking. "Call  
me tonight?"

"I will." He assured her. "Good luck with the search."

"Thanks." She smiled again. "Bye, Will."

"Bye, Lizzybeth." he whispered back.

"Okay." Lizzy said, reclaiming her seat in a little better mood than she left it. "Who's next?"

Lizzy and Bobby had amused themselves through the long process by pretending they  
were on a reality TV show. If the auditioners thought them weird for turning and speaking  
to an invisible camera, the friends just took it as another way to cross people off the list.  
If they couldn't take a little weirdness, then this was not the band for them.

The manager had swore he screened the process, of course, but Lizzy and Bobby wondered  
how some of these people made it through. Few played badly, but no one really stood out  
from the crowd. In the end, they narrowed the very long list of potentials down to three people.

However much Lizzy and Bobby wanted to pick someone that day, and even threatened  
each other with picking the very next person just so they would be free of listening to  
anymore bass players, they convinced themselves to wait. Once they remembered that, when  
the person they picked on a whim didn't work out and they would be right back here having  
to pick someone new, they decided to be absolutely sure.

They both took samples of "The Finalists" as Bobby dubbed them, to take home and listen  
to with the plan of agreeing on someone tomorrow. They had to get together and  
work on some new songs anyway. Both Bobby and Lizzy had a notebook thick of idea's  
from their long hiatus and were finally eager to get started on a new CD.

It was about an hour drive from the studio and it was mostly spent in silence, with a few  
comments about how bad or good they thought they thought some of the musicians  
were that day.

"The only problem is that, however good bassman-" Bobby started.

"Or woman." Lizzy interjected and he gave a wry grin.

"Or woman. Their personalty either sucked, or they were so doped up they didn't even  
know where they were." Bobby's form relaxed a little as they exited the highway.

"You staying at Janes again?" he asked, not looking at her.

"Yeah." Lizzy knew she didn't have any reason to be apologetic, but she was. He blew  
out a breath, shaking his head. "What?"

"You never had a problem crashing at my place BF." he answered bluntly. Teasingly, he  
had refered to anything before she met will as BF- Before Fitz.

"I know, but..." Lizzy trailed off, not wanting to get into this when they were both so  
frustrated with everything else already.

"But he doesn't trust you to go shag someone you've known longer than him just  
because we're sleeping in the same house?" Bobby frowned.

"He didn't even say anything to me. I want to be with Jane to make sure she's settling  
back in okay." Lizzy replied.

"Yeah right. You're telling me he wouldn't have a problem if you we were in the same  
house together. Like we've always been, before him." he replied skeptically.

"He probably would." she answered, and her truthful statement shocked the  
argumentative tone out of Bobby. "I'm trying to make an effort this time, Bobby. I  
really like Will."

Bobby took advantage of the red light they had come to to face her. "I can tell. He's a  
good guy, Lizard, I just don't want it to be weird between us. We both know I think  
of you as a sister, and that he's got nothing to worry about. Its more convenient if  
we're living together."

"It's pretty fun too." she play punched his shoulder and he smiled, turning his attention  
back to the road as the light changed. "Some things are going to change, Bobby, but  
nothing majorly. I'd still room with you if I wasn't worried about Jane. And Will will get  
it through his head that he's got nothing to worried about."

Lizzy paused, then turned a teasing smile at him. "You know you didn't help much  
when you were there. You went out of your way to rile him up."

"Yeah," Bobby laughed with no trace of regret. "I did. But I wanted to feel him out,  
and hey, he turned out okay in the end, huh?"

Lizzy smiled, but didn't answer. The rest of the ride was spent in silence and in no  
time he pulled up in front of Jane's apartment.

"You okay to drive? You could crash on the couch." Lizzy offer but Bobby grimaced.

"No thanks. I don't think I'd even be tired enough to sleep on that box of nails." he joked.  
She stuck her tongue out, they made plans to meet the next day, and then Bobby was gone.

When Lizzy made it upstairs, she found her sister going over papers at the kitchen  
table, a half eaten plate of pasta to the right of her.

"Hey." Lizzy greeted, going to make herself a plate of food. As soon as the smell of  
food hit her nose she realized she was half starved.

"Hey. How'd it go today?" Jane asked with a smile, as she gathered up the papers she  
was looking at and put them away in a folder.

Lizzy gave a short description of her day, leaving out the mundane and remembering  
the most eccentric of the musicians she met. She in turn asked her sister how her day  
went while eating as quickly as she could do without endangering her life.

As Jane was telling her about the new teacher who just started this year, the phone  
behind Lizzy rang. She swallowed the bite and, without getting up, reached behind  
her to the phone that was mounted on the wall without looking to see who it was.

"Bennet residence. Jane Bennet's little sister speaking." Lizzy grinned at the mock  
exasperated look Jane gave her.

"Hey Lizzy." Charles laughed in her ear.

"Heya Charles." Lizzy watched her sisters face light up before resuming a calm facade.  
"How's it going?"

"Oh, you know." he said pleasantly. "Can't complain. How about you?"

"Oh, I can complain, alright." she joked. "But, I won't. You know me, I see peoples crap  
as an opportunity to spread my joy to others." Charles bark of laughter made her feel  
as if she should be insulted. She didn't prolong their misery, though and after a quick  
goodbye, handed the phone to Jane.

She made her way back to her room, the guest room, and pulled out her laptop. After  
checking her email, and replying to the most urgent ones, she popped the first CD in  
and looked over the bass player's stats.

He was twenty-six, and by far the best payer they had seen, but he had been arrested  
twice for DUI's. Above anything, Bobby and Lizzy agreed that they didn't want to bring  
someone in with any kind of drug problem. Alcohol was expected, and they didn't even  
have a problem with pot, but anything in excess was a warning bell. Richard- that was  
number one's name, had sworn up and down that he was done with drinking and right  
now he was totally, one hundred percent committed to his music.

Lizzy listened to some of his songs, making notes once in awhile before moving onto  
the next person.

Twenty-four year old Suze looked like a typical rocker girl. She was kind of serious for  
such a young woman, but she played with a passion. She didn't joke around with them,  
though, and that worried her and Bobby. With as much time as they had to spend  
together, it was essential that they got along. Or could at least stand each other for  
longer than an hour.

Rob, on the other hand was all about joking around. He was the youngest of them  
all at just twenty, and although he played well enough to get into the top three, Suze  
and Richard out ranked him in talent. He was a seemingly easygoing guy, though,  
and had no problems in his past.

Lizzy went over all three of their sample CDs and made notes, but she felt like she was  
no more closer to picking the best of the three than she was two hours ago. She  
blinked at the clock. Was it really that late? She checked her cell phone but there were  
no missed calls. Will had called every night, and sometimes, like today, more than just  
every night. He had promised he'd call again tonight but his usual time had come and gone.

She debated calling him, but wondered why she shouldn't. The only thing that made  
her hesitate was the fact that the only reason he hadn't called yet was because he  
was busy. But it was closing in on midnight and she couldn't think of anything he  
could have to do this late. Before she could talk herself out of it, she found his number  
in her cellphone and hit send.

It rang several times, and Lizzy feared it would go to voicemail, but at the last  
minute it picked up.

" 'Lo?" Will's voice was rough with sleep.

"Hey." she replied. "Did you forget about me?"

"Elizabeth? What time is it?" he asked, sounding confused. She heard him moving  
things around on his end, then a soft swear left his lips. "I'm sorry."

She didn't know if he was apologizing for swearing, which she had never actually heard  
him do, or for not calling her. "It's okay." she smiled either way, wishing she could see  
the sleepy, confused look on his face.

"I was going over some papers and I guess I... fell asleep." he said sheepishly. "I  
haven't really been sleepy well lately." he added with a meaning she knew was  
directed at her.

"Yeah," she blushed, her smile widening. "Me either."

"So, how did it go today?" He asked.

She went into a little more detail about her crappy day and the decision she and Bobby  
would have to make. They didn't have time for a trial run, either. The VMA's were coming  
up and when they announced the replacement bassman (or woman) everyone would  
expect them to be permanent. If they had to chose another one later, they would  
begin a reputation as a hard band to work with, which would not be a good reputation  
to have for a band still struggling to get back on it's feet.

Lizzy sighed, not happy with the fact that she would eventually have to pick someone  
she had no way of knowing would be a good choice or not until after they worked  
together long enough to get to know one another.

Will listened with sympathy, adding questions and comments here and there, but  
mostly letting her vent. When she had got him up to date, she asked how his day had  
gone. Besides Pemberley, Will owned a number of properties that were mostly in the  
states, and he was currently having trouble with the landlord of one of these.

He suspected the landlord of charging the tenants more than the rent was set at, and  
pocketing the rest. The thing that really got his attention, though, was the fact that  
Will had sent money to fix a leaking roof six months ago and had just gotten a nasty  
letter from a former tenant that it still hadn't been done.

"I think I might have to fly out and smooth this all over." Will said.

"Really?" Lizzy asked, interested. "Where is this property again?"

"California." He replied.

"Oh." she said, disappointed. About as far from Florida as you could get and still be in  
the states.

"But," He added, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I'll have an associate go  
and make sure the roof is fixed, of course, but I don't think I'll personally be able to make  
it out there for another month."

"A month? Like... around the same time I'll be in Las Vegas at the VMA's?" Lizzy replied,  
excitement growing.

"Hey yeah. Look at that. What a coincidence, huh?" he asked with feigned surprise  
and Lizzy laughed.

"Hey, do you think Georgianna and Charles would want to come with you? You know,  
for the moral support you'll need in taking care of the landlord?" she wondered, an  
idea growing in her head.

"I think they might do that for me. I'll be very lonely in California, you know." he replied.

"Yeah? Well, you know, Georgianna was saying how she wished she could come to  
the VMA's with me. Maybe if she goes with you, I could get you guys tickets to the  
show." she suggested. Lizzy knew there was an almost certain chance he would come  
see her, but until they had it confirmed, she sat, literally on the edge of her seat.

"You know, Elizabeth, I think that's a great idea." he answer was instant.

They worked out the details a little more, both equally excited and wishing only that  
the date was a little sooner.

Lizzy went to sleep, not with the never ending songs of bass players in her head like  
she thought she would, but with image of herself on stage, and Will sitting in the front  
row with a smile on his face.

* * *

Okay, I could have waited another day or so for a beta to read this over before posting, bet, heck. I'm just too darn excited. So... Does anyone even remember this story? :wiggles eyebrows enticingly:


	22. Decisions and Preparations

_Authors notes_: Another shock! A new chapter already! How exciting is this? Hopefully _very_ exciting. :)

I must say I'm very proud of myself for getting this done so fast. This is kind of a filler chapter, a few fun and exciting things happen, but mostly it's things that needed to happen to get to the really good stuff. So I hope you enjoy it - I threw in as much Will/Lizzy as I could, and I hope this early update will help me win back your trust! :)

I really feel like I got my second wind with this story and have worked out a nice updating pattern... Does that make sense? Anyway- Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 22**  
_Decisions and Preparations_

For as late as it was when Lizzy finally fell asleep, she was up with the sun the next morning.  
She was excited about working on some new songs, and was even optimistic about picking a  
new bass player to join their band. Of course, these were not the thoughts she woke up with.  
Truthfully, the first thing in her head was how many days there were left until the VMA's. She  
had been excited before, but with the added benefit of seeing Will again, she had no doubt it  
would be in the forefront of her mind until they actually left for Las Vegas.

Jane was up and in the shower, so Lizzy went into the kitchen to see what she could scrounge  
up for breakfast. She felt like more than just cereal this morning and started looking through  
the cupboards to see if they had enough ingredients to make pancakes.

Halfway through the process, there was a knock on the door before it she heard it open. Lizzy  
didn't even bother to turn around.

"Did you eat yet?" she asked as she began whipping the ingredients together.

"Why- you gonna feed me?" an amused voice asked.

"Hey, don't knock it. I may not be able to boil water, but there's one thing I do well." she turned  
to throw Bobby a smile. "And thats pancakes."

"Your making pancakes? Well then, by all means, feed me!" Bobby laughed, sitting down at the  
table.

"Did you listen to CD's?" she asked as she cooked.

"I did. I don't know... What do you think of Rob?" he asked, getting up to get plates and  
silverware.

"Eh. He's kind of young, don't you think?" She flipped the pancake perfectly, then turned to give  
him a smug smile.

Bobby gave an exaggerated look of surprise at the flip, but laughed at her comment. "**Your**  
prejudice against someone's age? Don't you think that's a little hypocritical? How many people  
thought you were too young before, and even after, our first hit?"

"You know what I mean. There's young, and then there's young. He's not necessarily immature  
for a twenty year old guy, but do you really think he has what it takes to buckle down and work  
months at a time, sometimes without a break?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. They both heard  
a door open, and then Jane came around the corner.

"Mmm. Pancakes. Need any help?" she asked, flipping the stereo system on as she walked by it.  
_Dave Matthews Band_ immediately began playing throughout the apartment.

"I'm just about done. Unless you guy's want some toast to go with this?" Lizzy asked as she  
scrapped the last of the bowl to make one more pancake.

Both Jane and Bobby answered in the negative. Jane went about getting the syrup and butter  
and Lizzy brought a big plate of perfect looking pancakes over to the table. Bobby inhaled  
deeply and let out a groan. "How is it, in the many **many** times you've made these, they always  
seem to look and taste better?"

Jane and Lizzy laughed, but swore it was a family secret and that he would never find out.

The friends ate in a companionable silence. Jane had finished eating and cleaned up just in time  
to go right out the door and head to school. Bobby and Lizzy, of course, had to tease her about  
how they couldn't wait until the day when they wouldn't have to go to school, while Jane must  
have loved getting up early so much, she was destined to do it for a long, long time.

She bore their good natured teasing with a smile and a promise that she would see them for dinner,  
and then she was out the door.

"Well let's sit and decide on someone before we head to the studio." Lizzy suggested, heading  
to her room to grab her folder.

The compared all three potentials, going over their notes and relistening to songs they had  
already heard more times than they wanted. They eventually narrowed it down either Richard  
or Suze. Richard, they both agreed, was by far the best musician. He was older, and seemed  
reliable enough. The only thing that held them back was his problems with drinking. It was  
just going to come down to whether they believed he was done with his addiction or not.

Suze was next to Richard in talent, they only worried that their personalities would clash. A  
bad band relationship was just as bad as an addiction on tour. They needed to be totally one  
hundred percent in harmony, or they were going to suck. There was no other way to put it.

"Let's bring them in to have, like a battle of the bands, er- Bass players. Whatever." Bobby finally  
suggested, gesturing wildly in his frustration. "We're not going to get a good vibe off either of  
them until we spend more time with them and see what they can really do."

"Yeah." Lizzy agreed. "You want to call them in to the studio with us?"

"I think we'll have to. What's the point in making all these songs and then bringing in a third  
party and telling him - or her," he added hastily before she could correct him, "what they have  
to play and what songs we're going to do."

"They're not going to feel like they're really part of the band." she agreed again. "Okay, let's  
call them up."

"Hey, is this Mr... um..." belatedly, Lizzy realized she didn't know Richards last name, and all  
thought to professionalism went out the door. "Richard?" she finally laughed and was  
relieved to hear him return it.

"Mr. Richard, that's me. Is this Liz?" he asked.

"Yeah. I know this is short notice, but Bobby and I are heading to the studio today and we  
were wondering if you wouldn't mind coming in for, something like a second interview, I guess."  
she laughed again, with a mental note on rehearse this part if and when she ever had to make  
a call like this again.

"Oh, awesome. Yeah, I'd be honored. What time?" he asked, sounding a little amazed. She  
gave him the time and place, and made sure he had her number incase he got lost.

"Thanks Liz- I look forward to seeing you again." he said before they said goodbye.

"Well, Richards on board, did you get ahold of Suze?" Lizzy asked, coming back out into the  
main room.

"Oh, I got ahold of her, alright." Bobby said with a look Lizzy couldn't decipher.

"What?" she asked with something like dread.

"She's on her way to the hospital." Bobby shook his head with something between a mixture  
of a smile and a scowl.

"Is she okay?" she asked, thinking he was being a little cruel.

"I don't know, how would you be if you were about to have a baby?" he asked and Lizzy  
mouth dropped.

"She was _pregnant_?" she asked, shocked.

"I couldn't believe it either. No wonder she was in such a crappy mood." he laughed. "It looks  
like Richards our man. Unless you want to call in Rob?"

"Let's just see how it goes with Richard." Lizzy decided. They gathered up their things and  
headed out.

* * *

Bobby and Lizzy arrived much sooner than Richard, so they set up and started practicing on  
some of their older songs, wanting to wait until Richard came so they could all work on some  
new stuff together. About a half hour into it, a man showed Richard in and Lizzy and Bobby  
stopped playing to greet him.

After the initial hellos, Lizzy and Bobby explained to him their ideas. That he would have to  
learn all of Wickhams parts when they did their older songs, but they wanted to include him  
in on and new projects they did.

"So, this is like, official? Your picking me to join your band?" he asked when they gave him  
a chance to respond.

Bobby and Lizzy looked at each other before they realized that's exactly what they were  
doing.

"Look, you're by far the best we've heard. The only thing that makes us hesitate..." Lizzy  
trailed off, but Bobby picked it up after only a pause.

"Is the drinking problems you've had. I probably don't have to tell you that Wickham was  
into some pretty hard drugs on tour, and we do not, under any circumstance, want any  
kind of repeat of that." he exchanged a quick look with Lizzy.

"I understand." Richard said seriously. "I know my word means nothing to you- you don't  
know me from some guy off the street. But all I can do is promise that my actions will back  
up what my music can do. This is my life, and if anyone can understand that, I'm sure you  
too can. I did have a problem with drinking, but I've been sober for one year, two months  
and seventeen days."

Bobby and Lizzy both looked impressed. Once again, their eyes met. He raised his eyebrow  
at her and she gave a slight nod.

"Okay, this is going to have to go through alot of people before it's official, but as far as  
Bobby and I go, you're the new bass player for Oblong Urn." Lizzy announced. Richard  
looked stunned for a minute, then jumped up to shake their hands and thank them.

"Listen, from here on out it's going to be hectic. You're going to have to learn all of the old  
songs, as we've said." Bobby explained

"But don't be afraid to add you're own style to them." Lizzy interjected.

"We have the VMA awards in a month and we're going to do two songs. Are you familiar  
with _Welcome To Paradise_?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. Trust me, I'm pretty sure I know all you're songs- it shouldn't be a problem to  
pick them up." Richard assured them.

"That's the other thing- they're all your songs now as well. Obviously you didn't get to  
collaborate on them with us, but that brings me to the next point. We're doing two songs at  
the VMAs. _Welcome To Paradise_ is going to be at the pre-show, but now that we have  
an... unofficial-official bassman, we're going to be expected to have a rocking new tune." Lizzy  
said.

"We have to show them that the band still has it, and that we're better than ever without  
Wickham." Bobby explained

"So, that being said, we're going to be working on a new song today. Fell free to add your  
idea's and tell us when you don't like ours. We don't like suck ups and we don't have the  
luxury of a grace periods when we're all polite to each other until we really get to know  
one another." Lizzy smiled.

"Okay, I'm going to go order a pizza before we get started- Richard, why don't warm up  
a little- we're kind of throwing you in the deep end to see if you can swim, I'm afraid." Bobby  
laughed.

"That's no problem, I'm just so grateful for the chance you're giving me." Richard said,  
pulling out his bass guitar.

While Bobby finished explaining a few more things to Richard, Lizzy snuck out to find a  
private room.

"Hey." Will answered after only two rings.

"Hey." She smiled at hearing his voice, wishing even now that she was back at Pemberley  
with him. Or that he was here with her, or that they were anywhere, as long as they  
were together. Lizzy laughed silently at herself. That was the mushiest she'd even been  
in her life and she swore those words would never leave her lips. No matter how true they  
were. "I'm not interrupting you, am I?"

"Of course not. How's your day going?" he asked, sounding happy that she called.

"Pretty good actually. I think we just officially got a new bass player." Lizzy replied. She  
filled him in about all that had happened this morning, starting from when she got up.

"When are you going to cook _me_ pancakes?" he asked with what she knew had to be a  
pouting face.

"As soon as you're here in the morning." she threw back with a smile.

"I'll hold you to that." he replied, and the pair lapsed into a silence as they both thought  
of when they were last together, and when they would be together again.

"Did you hear anything about the landlord yet?" Lizzy finally brought the silence, knowing  
they wouldn't have much longer before Bobby called her back.

He filled her in, and they chatted about the upcoming trip for the nest few minutes  
before Bobby popped his head into the room.

"Lizard." he said with a reproaching look. "I've been looking for you. We have to get  
started."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be right there." she said, then focused back onto the phone. "Sorry Will."

"It's okay." he replied, sounding only slightly disappointed. "I should get back to work  
anyway. I'll call you tonight?"

"You'd better." she laughed. "Or I'll wake you up again."

When Lizzy made it back into the studio Richard was fiddling with his guitar and Bobby  
was taking his place behind his drumset.

"Sorry about that. So, Richard, I was thinking we'd take one of your songs and kind of  
add to it, or play off it. What do you think?" Lizzy asked, picking up her own guitar and  
making sure it was in tune.

"Thats sounds great to me. Did you have on in mind?" he asked.

"I really liked 'Wake me up'" Bobby joined in.

"Yeah, me too. Shall we work with that one?" Lizzy asked the general room.

They all agreed, and then started off just having Richard play. Bobby and Lizzy would  
join in every once in awhile, jumping in and out of the song as they got to know the  
tune. They played like this for a long time until they finally agreed on a basic tune.

* * *

For the next couple of weeks, Bobby, Lizzy and Richard would be at the studio from early  
in the morning until late at night. They worked on some other songs as well, but their  
main focus was the song they had planned to play at the VMA's.

The band also had the hassle of being stopped every once in awhile by their manager as  
he tried to get all the paperwork done that would make Richard an official member of  
Oblong Urn. They all knew it was necessary, but being stopped while they were under so  
much pressure to come up with a great new song in such a time limit did not make anyone  
very happy.

Despite the time crunch, Lizzy's phone calls with Will increased. They talked now at least  
twice a day. He would always call at night and she would always call in the morning, but  
one or the other would find an excuse to check in at some point during the day. Bobby  
of course took ever opportunity to tease her, but knew enough to leave her alone when  
she was on the phone.

One of the good things that came out of all the time they had to spend at the studio was  
all the time they were spending with Richard. Twelve hour days for two weeks were a  
great way to see people at their worst. There had already been some minor fights, born  
out of frustration and exhaustion, but they had weathered past them easily enough.

The fights themselves were about stupid, trivial things, nothing to suggest Richard was  
unhappy with the band or they way things were going. Consequently, Bobby and Lizzy  
felt more at ease in their decision to hire Richard.

Jane was already planning on taking a long weekend so she could go with the band to  
see the show, so Will was quick to inform Lizzy that Charles would be joining Georgiana  
and himself. Lizzy passed on the news, but Jane, with a smile, told her she already knew.

Sometimes, when she had a minute to spare, Lizzy wondered at what a coincidence it  
was to meet Will, her sister's boyfriends best friend. It seemed a little too fairy tale-y, her  
and Jane dating two best friends. But then she just chalked it up to luck and decided not  
to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She also reminded herself that it couldn't be too much like a fairy tale, with not being able  
to see their boyfriends in a month. And then after that? They talked often about how great  
it would be when they were together again in Las Vegas, but what would happen would  
they would, again, have to leave each other?

Lizzy would, no doubt, be going back on tour shortly after. Even if Will could leave Pemberley,  
she would be driving all over the states, without even time to sleep in a real bed. What  
could Will do then? Follow along after the tour bus?

Once again, she could see Charles doing something like that (because, well, he _had_) but Will  
was just too... dignified. She just couldn't imagine it. Luckily for her peace of mine, she  
didn't have much time to think about things like that.

Time moved exceedingly slowly when she thought of seeing Will again, and exceptionally  
fast when she thought of performing their new, still slightly raw song live at the VMA's.  
But soon it was time to start packing and leave for the show.

Lizzy was sent to a stylist to re-dye her hair (she picked a relatively normal crimson red.),  
which she thought was pointless to do when she had a night of sleep and eight hours on  
a plane to wreak havoc on it. But they were all scheduled to do a few interviews almost  
when they got off the plane, so there was no other time to do it.

Finally, it was the night before they would be in Las Vegas.

"I can't believe I'll get to see you tomorrow." Will said as soon as she picked up her  
phone that night.

"I know." she smiled. "I can't wait. I can't believe you're in the states right now- I wish  
we could leave tonight."

Will had thought to fly out two days before she would be flying in to have all the business  
with his landlord dealt with. Georgiana and Charles we amusing themselves around  
town, but all three couldn't wait until they could make the trip across the state and into  
Vegas.

"How'd the meeting go today?" She asked.

"As well as to be expected. Silverson has agreed to be the new landlord, and we've  
already started moving people back in. Resdale put up a little bit of a fight but there wasn't  
much he could do to explain why the roof hadn't been fixed, or where the money had  
gone." Will said with a yawn.

"Are you boring yourself over there Mr. Darcy?" Lizzy teased.

"I am. Tell me how much longer it'll be until you're here." he replied and she grinned.

"Well, my plane leaves in eight hours, and it'll take about eight hours to fly across the states..."  
Lizzy trailed off when Will let out a groan. "But, there's a three hour time difference, so I'll be  
there at about ten in the morning."

"Twelve hours?" he asked with a sigh. "I guess I can wait." Lizzy laughed.

"Twelve hours, and then there's a reporter meeting us at the hotel to do an interview, and  
then I'd like to freshen up a little..." Lizzy trailed off as Will let out an even bigger groan, making  
her laugh out loud. "And then I think it'll be time to get something to eat."

"Then I'll meet you at the hotel in exactly... fourteen hours?" He asked hopefully.

"It's a date." She grinned into the phone.

* * *

Author's notes: And there we go. It's like, almost midnight and I have to be at work at seven tomorrow, so if I missed any mistakes, I hope I can be forgiven. By the way- Who wants Richard to be Will's cousin? I kind of had an idea when I named him Richard that he would be, but then I was afraid it would be _too_ much of a coincidence. Then again, its not reality, its fiction. Oh! I hear the sounds of Pride and Prejudice coming from my sisters room! I'm taking that as a good sign. Let me know what you think- We'll take up a vote.


	23. Trips and Meetings

Woo! Another update. Okay, so my excuse this time? I moved!

Yeah, after living in Florida for my first 23 years, I've decided it's time to see this "change of season" everyone keeps talking about. :)

I live in North Carolina now, and although I miss the beach, I've fallen in love with the mountains. I've already seen so many things I've never seen before, like apple and peach trees, fog, the leaves changing, and snow! I have a feeling the love will ware off, but right now I look forward to snow days. I've only seen it a handful of times and though the people here tell me we don't get very harsh winters, I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get the chance to throw a snowball at someone!

Enough about me! I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter, I tried to make it as long as I could since you've been having to wait so long for updates. Have a great Thanksgiving!

* * *

**Chapter 23  
**_Trips and Meetings_

"You are _such_ a child." Lizzy growled to the man walking behind her. She readjusted the guitar case that was slung over her back and had a small hope that it would hit him.

"At least I can sit still for longer then five minutes." He shot back just as darkly, expertly sidestepping the moving case.

"Don't mind them." Jane's sweet voice cut through the dark storm that was brewing between the friends. "Neither of them are good at being cooped up for very long."

Richard looked a little less worried about his new friends, especially when Jane didn't even acknowledge the twin glares she got from Lizzy and Bobby.

"We'll all feel better once we get to the hotel and have a chance to eat and rest a while." Jane added.

"Speak for yourself. Once _we_ get to the hotel, _we_ have to talk to some stupid reporter. Where the hell is baggage claim?" Bobby asked, voice full of frustration.

"You think maybe down there?" Lizzy asked sarcastically, pointing to a sign that said '_Baggage claim, third floor_'

"Can it, Annie." he sneered. She stuck her tongue out at him, but when he turned to walked downstairs, she ran a hand through her newly dyed red curls, throwing Jane a questioning look. She shook her head and smiled, letting her sister know that she looked fine.

The group said little else as they all lined up around the conveyer belt waiting for their luggage to pass in front of them. Lizzy took this opportunity to turn her cell phone back on, but there were no messages waiting for her.

"Aw, did Captain Fantastic not call his girlfriend?" Bobby teased, not missing the disappointed look on her face.

"Bite me." Lizzy said with a glare. She elbowed him out of the way, grabbed her bag off the belt and moved away from the group to wait.

She took the increasingly heavy guitar off her back and set it down next to her lone bag while she waited. As she was debating whether to call Will to tell him she just got in, or to wait until after the interview when she could have a moment free, someone came up from behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Leave me alone, Bobby." she snapped, jerking her shoulder out of his grasp. She knew he was trying to apologize for his irritability. It was probably good to get it out of the way before their interview, least the reporter catch on to their tension; But Lizzy wasn't ready to let go of her annoyance yet.

His hand brushed her hair back, and just when she was going to ask what he was doing she felt him kiss her neck. Without thinking, she turned and slugged him.

"What the hell-" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw who it was. "Oh my god- I am so sorry!"

"Ow..." Will said a little belatedly, a slightly shocked look on his face as he brought his hand up to his face.

"Oh Will..." she said apologetically, as she moved his hand to look at his cheek. It was already red where she'd hit him and she winced. "Will, I'm sorry, I thought-"

"It's okay." Will interrupted with a rueful laugh, still looking a bit stunned. "That'll teach me to sneak up on you. Let me try that again... Hi."

"Hi." she couldn't help but smile back. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer. Just smiled as he leaned down to kiss her.

"It's _so_ good to see you." she sighed into his chest when they pulled apart. "Is Charles-" she started to ask, but when she looked past Will she saw Jane and her boyfriend in a similar position.

"I like this." He said, running a hand through her hair and eyeing the change.

"Yeah?" she asked, still a little self-conscious about it.

"Mmm Hmm." he nodded "It's very...Hot"

"Will," she half groaned, half giggled as she once again buried her head in his chest. "Please tell me that wasn't supposed to be a joke."

"Hey, you laughed, didn't you?" He replied, grinning down at her.

"Yeah, but _at_ you- not with you." she teased, reaching up to kiss him again, because he was standing right there in front of her and she could.

"Hey lovebirds, you two want to get a move on or what?" Bobby's approaching voice brought them back to where they were.

Lizzy looked past Will's broad shoulders to see that Richard, Bobby and Jane had all gotten their luggage and were ready to go. Will let go of Lizzy to reach down and get her bag in one hand and guitar in the other. She made a sound to protest, but it was quickly squelched by the look he threw her.

Now that she wasn't distracted by Will's sudden appearance, Lizzy started to greet Charles and Georgiana, but before she could get a word out, Will's eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"Richard?" he asked in a shocked voice.

"Fitz!" Richard looked equally as surprised, and the two were frozen in place for a minute before they both set down their bags and embraced as all men do, with lots of back slapping. They were both smiling though, and Lizzy thought they acted like long lost brothers. She was only slightly off.

"Georgie! My god, is that you?" He asked, pulling Georgiana in an equally enthusiastic, if a little gentler, hug. "You're so tall!"

"It's been a few years." she giggled, equally as happy to see him as was her brother.

"I can't believe you're here!" Will said. "What _are_ you doing here? You look great." He added with another one of those manly punches to the shoulder. Richard laughed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I'm doing... a whole lot better." he said simply.

"Dudes, seriously, can we do this in the car? Some of us were just on a plane for eight hours." Bobby interrupted; Lizzy elbowed him.

"Elizabeth- this is my cousin." Will ignored Bobby, but grabbed Lizzy's hand and pulled her closer.

"We've met." she laughed. "Your cousin? How the hell did this happen?"

"It's a small world after all." Charles sang, laughing.

After another dramatic sigh of frustration from Bobby, Will and Richard both picked up their discarded bags and the group began making their way outside. The newly reunited cousins began talking excitedly, trying to catch up, so Lizzy matched her steps with Georgiana. She asked the younger girl how her playing was coming along, and what kinds of songs she was working on.

Luckily, their manager had ordered a limo to pick them up from the airport, so they had a car with enough room for all of them, not to mention all their luggage. Will, ever the gentlemen, held the door so the lady's could go in first, then Charles, Bobby, Richard and he piled in. Charles and Jane claimed the two seater that was closest to the driver, then Richard, Will, Lizzy, Georgiana and Bobby all lined up on in the couch-like seat that ran along the side of the car.

Charles and Jane, of course, only had eyes and conversation for each other for the moment. Will put his arm around Lizzy and pulled her close to him; and although he tried to include her in the conversation as much as he could, he and his cousin had a lot to catch up on. She was content for right now to just having him sitting next to her, and she used the time to continue catching up with Georgiana.

"Hey, do you have anything planned for tomorrow?" she asked.

"I... not that I know of." Georgiana replied with a glance at her brother who was in deep conversation with their cousin.

"Well, I still have to go find an outfit for the show, do you want to come shopping with Jane and I?" Lizzy asked.

"Oh! That would be fun!" she replied, her shyness shedding in her excitement.

"Great! We'll figure out exactly what time later on tonight." Lizzy told her. The ice officially broken, the two talked about the show and what would happen, which lead to their favorite topic- music.

They were comparing mutual favorite bands and songs when there was a softly spoken curse that came from Georgiana's right side. Lizzy looked past the girl to see Bobby scowling at his Ipod.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, in a voice that was not too friendly. He turned to her with the same look on his face that he gave the offending Ipod.

"My battery just died. I thought you said you'd charge it for me?" He asked with accusation in his voice.

"I _did_ charge it." she replied defensively. "All night. Maybe you just broke it."

"Maybe _you_ forget to plug it in." he mumbled, still scowling and she rolled her eyes.

"I _just_ told you-" Lizzy voice started to rise in frustration.

"Are you kids still fighting?" Jane gently teased. Lizzy then realized all conversation had halted to follow the exchange between her and Bobby.

"I'm _not_ fighting." Bobby said testily.

"Don't snap at her because you're in a bad mood." Lizzy said irritably.

"I _didn't_ snap at her." Bobby said, voice rising though he was speaking through clenched teeth.

"Okay you two. Maybe you shouldn't talk to each other until we get to the hotel." Jane suggested.

"Yes, _Mom_." Bobby grumbled, but turned his head and pretended to sleep.

Lizzy didn't realized how tense she had been until she felt Will's hand running up and down her arm in an attempt to calm her. She took a deep breath, unclenched her jaw and gave him a weak smile.

Richard offered to switch seats with Lizzy so he could catch up with his younger cousin, but Lizzy had a feeling he wanted to put more space between her and Bobby. As an added bonus, though, that gave her and Will a chance to finally be able to talk.

"You okay?" he asked in a low voice. She blew out a breath of air and half shrugged.

"We just got on each others nerves sometimes." her mouth tugged down into a frown. "Comes with spending a whole month together- all day everyday."

"I don't know. I think we could spend a whole month together- all day everyday- and not get on each others nerves." Will grinned at her.

"Hmm. I don't know... maybe. We should try it and see how it goes." she teased back.

"That sounds like a great idea." he smiled down at her, his admiring gaze causing her to blush slightly.

"So you and Richard are cousins, huh?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah." Will shook his head, an amazed look still on his face. "I haven't seen him in years though. He... had some problems." Will lowered his voice slightly. "And he just kind of, removed himself for the family. I tried to do what I could to help, but he seemed to think it would be easier if he just cut himself off from us- his parents and our aunt, and sort it out himself."

Lizzy knew, of course, about Richards drinking problems; it almost kept Bobby and her from inviting him into the band. She was glad, more than glad, that they had given him a chance to prove himself. She hadn't overlooked the fact that he had come clean right away and let them know about his problems and Both she and Bobby had respected the honesty.

"That must have been hard for you." Lizzy replied with a look of sympathy. She knew enough about Will to know how he would feel to be denied a chance to help someone, especially his own family.

"It was, but he obviously knew what he was doing. He's doing great, huh?" Will answered, a look of questioning in his face.

"Yeah he is." Lizzy replied without hesitation. "He fits right in with the band. We're even doing one of his songs at the show. Well, a very modified version of his song- but he wasn't shy about participating."

She didn't tell him anything she hadn't already told him, but her confidence in Richard eased Will's mind. He knew she would expect nothing less than perfect form her bandmates and he didn't want any awkwardness between his girlfriend and his cousin if it hadn't worked out.

"I'm sorry I left you hanging there at the airport- I was just so surprised when I saw him..." Will apologized when, thinking back, he realized that's exactly what he did.

"It's okay." she smiled. "I understand. Anyway, it gave me and Georgiana a chance to catch up."

"I'm glad you and my sister are getting along so well." Will said, his smile showing the truth in his words.

"She's fun." Lizzy replied. "She agreed to come out with Jane and I tomorrow when we have to go pick out our outfits for the show."

"How long's that going to take?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Don't pout." she laughed, running a finger across his lips. His mouth quirk in a smile before he lightly grasped her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. His already black eyes darkened as they stayed locked on hers. Lizzy swallowed hard, wishing, not for the first time, that they could just go back to the hotel and be alone.

He looked as if he had a similar thought in mind. Suddenly aware of the car full of their friends and relatives, it was with great effort that he released her hand and turned the topic to safer things until they reached the hotel.

Hotel staff met them before they even exited the car. They immediately got to work on separating their luggage and running them up to their respective rooms. Bobby, Lizzy and Richard were informed that their guest was waiting in the hotel restaurant, if they would like to join him.

"Not even time to change." Bobby growled under his breath. Although still irritated with her friend, she whole heartedly shared his sentiments. They had been up since before sunrise, been on a plane all day, and now was expected to be at their best while they gave an interview to a local paper.

"Let's just get this over with." Lizzy sighed.

She turned and immediately snatched her guitar case out of a bellhops grasp as he tried to balance it on a luggage cart with five other bags. He looked shamefaced as she glared at him, clutching her precious instrument to her chest. He tipped his hat as if he was from the forties and hastily made his way back into the hotel with the luggage before Lizzy's anger could turn into more than a glare.

Bobby watched this exchange with glee. "I love when you get rough with the help."

"Ha ha." Lizzy replied with a half hearted frown. If this was his olive branch, she wasn't going to fight back with earnest.

"Here," he said, pulling the case out of her hands and surprising Will by putting into his. "That should be safe, and ease your mind. While you all go upstairs and rest for awhile," he said this with only a little less bitterness than before, "We'll get this interview over with and met up for some lunch. Sound good?"

They all agreed, and Jane led the way inside where they parted in the lobby. Everyone but the band members headed toward the elevators, while the former made their way into the restaurant.

It was pretty basic, as interviews go. This one lasted a little longer as he wanted to get all the information he could about Richard, this being only his third interview since he joined the band. No one had asked about his previous alcohol problems so far, of which they were all grateful for their own reasons. Bobby and Lizzy didn't want Richard to have to deal with people prying into his life as much as they could avoid it. They also didn't want people focusing on another potential for a scandal about the band.

Although, as callous as it sounded, a rock star with a drinking problem was hardly front page news. Even if he was doing hard drugs, they doubted it would be gossip worthy of more than a handful of people.

He also, whether instructed from their agent or not, didn't mention Wickham, of which they were all grateful. He mostly asked about their new band member, the upcoming show, their new songs and what people could expect from the newly reformed band. It was relatively painless and didn't last more than an hour, but all three were glad when they got up to leave.

"I'm staving." Lizzy moaned as they got onto the, thankfully, empty elevator. "We should have gotten an appetizer, at least."

"I didn't want him to think we had the time." Bobby replied, hitting the button for their floor several times.

"That wasn't so bad." It was a statement, but Richards voice held a note of questioning.

"No, it wasn't so bad." Lizzy agreed. "It could have been worse, definitely."

"I don't care how hungry you all are, I'm taking a shower." Bobby stated as they finally reached their floor. Lizzy immediately groaned.

"I'm never going to eat." she complained dramatically.

"Why don't we just order in? That way it'll be here as soon as we're all done refreshing ourselves and we can relax and still all eat together." Richard suggested.

"Huh. Thats a good idea." Bobby said after a pause.

"It's been known to happen once or twice." Richard smiled.

"Let the others know, would you?" Lizzy asked, stopping outside of her room which happened to be the closet to the elevators. "Jane will know what to order for me."

It was a testament to how tired Bobby must have been, he didn't even tease her about wanting to rush straight to her room and who might be waiting there for her. Richard threw her a knowing grin, but either wasn't comfortable enough yet to know when it was okay to tease her, or was just feeling diplomatic. Either way, they both let her go without comment.

As soon as the door closed and she heard the boys steps fading away, Lizzy called out, "Will?"

No one answered her and she was instantly sorry she didn't think to check with the others first. Of course he wouldn't be waiting here for her alone. He wouldn't leave his shy sister in a room full of strangers, even if Charles was there. She didn't lament about it for long, though. She took the opportunity to follow Bobby's example and grabbed a shower while there was time. After a moments pause, she brought a change of clothes in the bathroom with her, just in case someone came into the room.

About a half hour later, Lizzy reemerged, still tired but feeling much more refreshed.

"Perfect timing." Will's voice caused her to jump.

She hadn't seen him at first, because he was in the corner pulling things off a table they had intended to use as a desk. After clearing it, he pulled it up against the end of the bed and reached over to pick the food off the dresser where he had laid it down before he started rearranging the room. He set their plates on the new makeshift dinner table and looked up to her, smiling and patting the bed.

Lizzy inhaled deeply through her nose as she walked towards him. "What is that intoxicating smell?" she asked, mouth already watering.

He also took a breath in. "Smells like... Strawberries and Vanilla." He grinned and when she got close enough leaned down to kiss the spot where her shoulder met her neck. "Mmm... tastes good, too."

"Will." She giggled. Actually giggled. She mentally shook her head in amazement at her behavior around him. She felt like she was a teenager with her first boyfriend and admonished herself with the image of her flirty younger sister in her head. Lizzy was not that kind of girl. Although, whats the harm in being flirty when the guy in question was already her boyfriend?

"Hungry?" he asked, interrupting her inner debate.

"Starved." she said eagerly, taking her seat. Will joined her, sitting flush up against her so their sides were fully touching. she smiled at his affection, but secretly worried that she would be elbowing him throughout the whole meal.

"What's on the menu? Smells like..." Will lifted the tops to the containers before she could finish. "Chinese. I love Chinese."

True to her word, Jane had ordered her her favorites and Lizzy busied herself with making sure there was enough egg rolls to go around while Will picked a movie for them to watch on the TV.

When they decided and were ready to dig in, Will soon realized the problem Lizzy had anticipated when they first sat down. To eat comfortably, she would need more room to move her arm. Instead of moving away from her, however, he simply put his arm around her and ate one handed. She tried to protest that it wouldn't be comfortable for him, but he simply ignored her and offered her a bite of his moo goo gai pan.

They managed to finish most of the food off. After putting the leftovers in the mini fridge and pushing the table back into the corner, they leaned back against the headboard to finish watching the movie. Lizzy, with the long trip, full stomach, warm bed and relaxed company fell asleep on Will's shoulder about ten minutes later.

He would tease her later on about what kind of date she was, but for now he quietly and carefully slid her down and pulled the covers over her. He stood for several minutes as he debated over rejoining the others or joining her in sleep. She turned towards him in her sleep, reaching out to feel the empty bed beside her.

"Will?" she asked, voice already thick with sleep.

"I'm here." he whispered, heart swelling at her actions.

"Don't let me sleep or I'll be up all night." She told him as she snuggled deeper into the covers.

Will laughed softly, smoothing her hair out of her face. "I think we can think of something to do if you wake up." He hadn't meant it to come out that way, but in trying to keep his voice low, and possibly the sight of her in bed after not seeing her for so long, his voice sound more husky than he had intended.

To his relief she grinned, but said nothing. Another minute passed and he was sure she fell asleep, so he voice make him jump a little. "Are you coming to bed or what?"

The decision thusly made for him, he pulled back the covers and slipped in next to her. They moved around a little, both getting comfortable before settling down and slipping into sleep. Will didn't think he was as tired as she was, but perhaps the same things that pulled her under were pulling him too. The full stomach, warm bed and, most importantly, the warm body beside him were causing his eyes to droop.

He was almost asleep when he her Lizzy murmur, "I'm glad you're here, Will."

"Me too." he whispered back, kissing her forehead.

* * *

So, as you can see, The vote was 95% to making Richard Wills cousin. I hope it was worth the wait, and, as always, I greatly appreciate any and all comments you take the time to make. As usual, I'm posting this late at night and right before I go to sleep, so please excuse all mistakes you may find. I had have someone read through it, but he's never really done this before so there a chane he missed something. Anyway- hope you like it! Have a good thanksgiving!


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